Manchester United’s Premier League campaign continues to struggle for lift-off as they were left to rue their chances again in a goalless draw in the derby.
Man Utd created the better chances for the second game in a row, missed them all for the second game in a row, and were only spared by Man City being even more toothless.
Ruben Amorim certainly has a platform to build upon based on the performances recently but the finishing edge remains missing.
After the game, Paul Scholes struck a fearful tone for the Man Utd manager, taking Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s recent comments spelling trouble for him.
Paul Scholes on Sir Jim Ratcliffe-Ruben Amorim
It is no secret that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has hitched his wagon unconditionally to Ruben Amorim, with the Portuguese being Ineos’ first managerial appointment.
Having said that, the mess that’s inherited by them at Old Trafford makes it difficult to back a manager, regardless of whose appointment it was.
That is the fear concentrating on Scholes’ mind, as the former United man spoke about Ratcliffe’s recent comments which could spell trouble for Amorim.
United await a blockbuster summer window which will help Amorim accelerate his rebuild but Scholes isn’t so sure about that.
He said: “[Ruben Amorim’s] going to war without a war chest [in the summer window]. It just doesn’t feel like that will be fixed in the summer. I think they might sell Garnacho and Mainoo for PSR issues. Sir Jim’s interview didn’t read very right.
The Mainoo one would hurt, both would hurt. Mainoo came to Utd at 6-7 years of age. The noises you hear, have to be a big concern. [Amorim] came here under false pretenses really, Dan Ashworth came in and within 2-3 months [of Amorim arriving], he was gone. He’s got a really young staff as well.
Amorim will be backed at Man Utd
While Scholes’ comments make sense in a vacuum, it is hard to take Ratcliffe’s interview at face value, especially when he says United would have gone bust at the end of the year.
Moreover, Ratcliffe has already said that Amorim will have a budget to spend this summer, with further sales adding to it, of which there are expected to be plenty.
Therefore, it is unlikely that anyone at Old Trafford is extremely concerned about how they will go about executing the rebuild in the summer.
Combine that with United’s new direction in the market where the club is moving away from high fees on older players and towards potential in the window.
That will naturally be more affordable and when not, it will be for potentially generational talents like Leny Yoro, where the ROI will be much better.
Small steps, but Scholes is probably overselling how bad things are at United off the pitch and in the market.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/qrbVQpz