Manchester United rumours 3

06 Jan 2026 19:06:44
But Telegraph Sport revealed on Monday morning that United’s hierarchy took the decision to dismiss Amorim before Sunday’s draw with Leeds United after the manager “lost it” with Wilcox on Friday morning.

Wilcox had intended the meeting to be a chance to discuss the evolution of the team but when the subject of Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system – to which he has been wedded – was raised the Portuguese “blew up”, according to sources.

Sources said Amorim’s behaviour had grown increasingly erratic in recent weeks and felt his public outbursts, in which he suggested he was being undermined and hinted at a power struggle with Wilcox and the board, were designed to engineer an exit.

07 Jan 2026 12:46:19
I hope I am wrong but I think after Amorim had players wanting to play for the club and the team behind him, this is meddling from the board in exactly what Amorim Was employed to do, which is coach the team. That includes setting the formation and style of play. It was coming and we were progressing.

The fallout is clearly over the board changing goalposts from Europe to being Champions League, trying to change the 3 year narrative without the extra investment. It's a rubbish show and this is a disastrous decision and we are back to square 1 yet again.

Look how many players have come out in support of Amorim and clarifying they saw him as their boss and leader. An absolutely terrible ego driven decision based on someone reacting emotionally to being doubted within and abused by Wlcox who openly admits to interfering and believing he's a bteer coach.

This is dreadfully short sighted and utterly incompetent.

07 Jan 2026 17:19:15
The DOF is perfectly entitled to question what's happening on the pitch without the coach throwing all his toys out of the pram. Rather than act as many of our players have done by going public the correct approach would have been either to arrange for discussions with the rest of the management team, and/or if there were indeed genuine tensions between Wilcox and his colleagues, to let that play out.

In tense situations tensions are quite normal as are disagreements. Mature individuals try to negotiate through them. After all, getting into the Champions League ought to have been the priority not just for the club but also Amorim since doing so would provide more funds for the rebuild. If that required a short term modification of approach a reasonable individual should at least consider being less rigid.

09 Jan 2026 14:08:03
In truth wilcock must resign. he's a rat like Radcliffe and his pathetic ego has dumped utd into chaos.

06 Jan 2026 17:27:03
Oles happening.

06 Jan 2026 17:47:56
The scenes on here if that happens…hard hats at the ready ?.

06 Jan 2026 18:06:33
I'll be sick.

06 Jan 2026 18:13:20
Absolutely desperate, at least neville and his chums will be happy, won't hear a peep out of them for the rest of the season, I can see it now, we beat city and arsenal and rio will be wailing for him to have it full time, unbelievabley funny.

06 Jan 2026 18:20:12
Maybe wilcox is on some sort of sabotage job.

06 Jan 2026 18:28:39
Jeez…. At least we have form for getting personnel back after we get rid of them.

06 Jan 2026 18:35:13
Probably fits Nevilles idea of "Utd Dna", whatever the f that is! Genuinely embarrassing when they say this.

06 Jan 2026 18:57:37
If its Ole again, then that's the final nail in the coffin.

06 Jan 2026 19:51:33
Must have fell into a time machine and gone all the way back to 2018 man utd manager gets sacked after outburst at board ole Gunnar solsjaer. Steadys the sip .

06 Jan 2026 20:10:40
Groundhog Day.

06 Jan 2026 20:16:55
Ole is a good man, loves the club and will stabilise the mood. It will be a 5 months max.

Some very disappointing comments here. Ole deserves better and respect.

06 Jan 2026 20:24:54
Ole is to sir Jim as Martin is to wee dermott up in Glasgow. I’d much rather carrick be brought in as I thought he did ok at boro and for a few months then why not.

07 Jan 2026 02:19:45
I’d take Ole and Keane until the end of the season. Fairly confident they’d have us finishing in the top four.

07 Jan 2026 08:55:27
I dot dislike Ole, but let's be honest, he did not push the club forward, at all. May E he didn't send them backwards either, but we have some very big years ahead and he is not the guy, never will be. He is a yes man. A spineless yes man. A puppet, as it were.

07 Jan 2026 09:19:30
A few thoughts re: Ole, I think there was a perception last time that he pretty much let the players do what they wanted at training - probably over-simplifying things but it seems there wasn't as much structure to the sessions behind the scenes. Maybe that's why he was so popular with the players. How much of that contributed to the 'player power' culture, with Rash/Lingard/Sancho all in full flight in that period.
That being said, I doubt there's been a more popular United manager in recent years, and I'd say that the Ole era first time round was vastly more enjoyable to watch than any other for the past 13-14 years, even the final Fergie season.


I'm not overly against Ole as caretaker, but for christs sake no matter what kind of run if any we go on, no knee-jerk contracts before the board have sat down at the end of the season and discussed properly.

07 Jan 2026 10:09:56
I still don't understand the negativity about Ole's managerial tenure. Especially as we've visibly gone downhill since he was fired.

Ole had a clear deficiency tactically, particularly regarding making changes mid-match, but I always felt this was something which he could learn, and he did make some improvement in this area during his time with us, albeit not by a lot.

However, he also had players giving their all, gave us some of our best league finishes since SAF (certainly better than we've had since he left), a fairly decent win percentage, and IMO at least, the most entertaining football we've played since SAF.

Obviously that last part is subjective, and "entertaining" is not necessarily the same as "good", but we scored a lot of goals, and even the losses tended not to be boring.


I'm not saying I want him back, but I don't understand the negativity.

07 Jan 2026 10:20:17
Carrick didn't do well at boro. His training methods were questionable and I'm sure it was a case of jobs for the boys aswell. He simply has got what it takes to be an interim manager at Utd.

The same goes for OGS. Maguire was exceptionally poor under OGS. He simply doesn't suit a 4 at the back formation. Whenever teams played pressing football against Utd, they simply buckled. Let's not forget that Ralf Rangnick said that they were not fit enough when he took over.

Let's not fall back into bad habits and employ previous managers. They need to employ an interim whonplay football similar to the next manager that comes in. A bump less changeover must happen.

07 Jan 2026 11:18:16
I am shaking my head at so many of the comments. Amorim took a poisonous player centric culture that had built up under several managers. As much and all as I admire Ole, he was one of those. I don't understand at all why we're going straight away for interim managers rather than trying to get a manager in right now.

If we cannot get those managers then fine, but not even trying seems crazy. Surely it doesn't take 6 months to evaluate who is a good coach or not.

07 Jan 2026 12:32:43
Don red. For our lot it probably does. Their end of season review of eth took about 6 weeks. ?‍♂️.

07 Jan 2026 13:16:32
DonRed,

I'd imagine that the club are potentially looking at Glasner, Tuchel, Iriaola whose contracts expire this summer. to save money and give them time to have a full pre season.

There was talk that Enrique is ready for a new challenge etc. He would be by first pick, but he was to leave PSG, he will likely end up at City. They fit like a glove.

07 Jan 2026 13:44:53
Mad Hatter, the potential cost from a lower league position is likely to be much higher than the cost to get Glasner or Iraola now. As for Enrique, unless he has clearly indicated that he wants to come to us then waiting for him seems like a fools errand.

07 Jan 2026 15:02:43
DonRed,

I would happily go for Glasner or Iraola now.

07 Jan 2026 17:41:33
Get Glasner now, don't wait. Grease the wheels of Guehi, Munoz and Wharton on the way out.
It seems so simple, yet we will buckle to the OGS 2.0 a d we will be here again in a year or two when he gets found out for being tactically inept. I would say he is only good at being a people person and not upsetting anyone, hence the player power debacle.

We need a leader, he is not a leader.

There is a video of him talking about Keane, you can see he is just in awe of him, but you can also see that he is incapable of relocating that trait.

Again, I don't dislike the guy, I was a teenager when he scored against Munich and recall dancing around like a madman. But not once did I dance around when he was manager, because he is not a manager, he relied too heavily on the say so of Fergie at the time.

05 Jan 2026 12:33:17
BBC reporting that the club hope to appoint an interim manager until the end of the season and then appoint a full time manager. They state it won’t be fletcher but that he’s in charge for Burnley. Any ideas?

05 Jan 2026 12:49:35
Michael Carrick maybe, or someone connected to the club, with some sort of history.

05 Jan 2026 12:53:53
Big Sam will make sure we stay up.

05 Jan 2026 13:08:01
If they are waiting until end of season then Tuchel comes to mind.

05 Jan 2026 13:10:59
Rathcliffe, Omar and Wilcox clearly made this decision based on emotion as we clearly had no plan in place.

Binning this season off in January to focus on next year is absolutely ludicrous from the board considering Ashworth left because of his concerns for Amorim and his 3-4-3.

I'm not saying Amorim was the right man, but surely you have more of a plan than "give it to Ole for the rest of the season".

Onto that, Ole (PTSD incoming) Carrick, Ruud or Blanc. Maybe Fletcher wins the next 2 and gets some joy at City and Arsenal and stays. We've seen this movie before and it doesn't end well.

I hope you're all doing well considering.

05 Jan 2026 13:18:17
Tuchel? ????
Noooo!

05 Jan 2026 13:22:53
OGS will do again.

05 Jan 2026 13:25:33
End of season I agreed red man, he will be no.1 choice. Poch maybe a close second.

If they move now, Glasner.

My choice, would be Emery.

05 Jan 2026 13:37:34
Bring Keano in…that would be pure cinema ?.

05 Jan 2026 13:38:50
Can only imagine that would go down swell with the rest of Ingerland if Tuchel took some time off preparing for the world cup to take charge of Manchester United on an interim basis lol.

05 Jan 2026 13:41:08
Southgate to enter through the OT gate.

05 Jan 2026 14:03:11
Tichel after World Cup is a good shout.

05 Jan 2026 14:05:42
Is it not Fletcher until the end of the season?

05 Jan 2026 14:18:24
I think it’ll be Tuchel after the Word cup too. The club needs a big personality and figurehead to be in charge.

That or they go to Xavi.

05 Jan 2026 15:50:37
Maresca as interim is probably what they're exploring.

05 Jan 2026 16:16:04
Tuchel left Chelsea because he clashed with the management over transfers and squad formation, sound familiar.

Wilcox going to sit down and have a Friday afternoon chat with Tuchel and tell him about formations, not a chance.

It just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

05 Jan 2026 16:56:35
Klopp. Would piss the scousers off even more than us winning the league!
Yes I know it won’t happen.

05 Jan 2026 19:11:16
First of all I couldn’t disagree more with the club sacking Amorim. I believe he was the man to change us given time and getting in players he wanted. For the club to ignore the need for a dm in the summer over an Additional number 10 was baffling and also predictable.
Knowing how our club is run they will look to make an appointment on the interim that will in their eyes silence any possible backlash and will get someone in the fans would support and also more importantly someone the media won’t go after ie Gary Neville.

We know how silent he was when OGS was in the hot seat.

05 Jan 2026 19:31:05
twenty, if they got Neville in, I think I’d turn my back on the club and never attend another match. Can’t stand the snivelling little worm.

05 Jan 2026 20:22:14
Hope it’s not tuchel, plays such boring football.

Needs to be someone that plays attacking football. I’m not an expert on the manager market so no clue who they will go for.

Glasner seems to be the favourite for the summer. But that’s more 3 at the back football. So not my choice.

I’d try and get Emery from Villla. Or maybe Xavi.

05 Jan 2026 21:23:28
2toms he’s a rat ?
No I wasn’t suggesting that but they will prob get someone in who g Neville won’t say anything against as it will be an ex team mate. Amorim said in his last press conference that if people can’t handle gnev criticism we need to change club.

It was clearly affecting the Wilcox’s and berradas.
Gnev is happy to spout on about Amorim but never the owners strange that.

06 Jan 2026 12:54:31
Wilcox will be next out the door.

06 Jan 2026 18:10:45
I hope so Eric, well actually I hope it is Mainoo, then Wilcox then.

Shaw
Maguire
Casemiro
Dalot
Ugarte
Dorgu
Bayindir
Sesko
Amass
Mount
Etc etc

This squad needs tearing apart.

05 Jan 2026 10:35:12
Manchester United sack Ruben Amorim in the wake of rising tension at Old Trafford; Amorim dismissed after meeting with Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox; Darren Fletcher to take charge of United for Wednesday's game at Burnley; Amorim departs after 14 months in charge.

05 Jan 2026 11:23:27
The press conference yesterday sealed his fate. Otherwise he would have seen the season through.

05 Jan 2026 11:29:49
Rinse and repeat. And so the cycle continues.

05 Jan 2026 11:40:03
Who we thinking for his long term replacement then?

I believe Glasner is the favourite.

05 Jan 2026 12:00:26
Glasner? The guy who plays 343? That will go well here. It shouldn't be ever so long before some turn on him due to his 'formation'.

05 Jan 2026 12:11:25
Here’s hoping Wilcox follows him out the door.

05 Jan 2026 12:56:35
Ed001, you mentioned that the club were willing to get rid of Wilcox. Is this something they could still do?

I have not been impressed with what I’ve heard about him. That he sucked up to Ratcliffe and undermined Ashworth to steal his job. I feel like we need a proven DoF to come in and sort out the mess.

{Ed001's Note - I think it is very likely he will be replaced as well, in a couple of months or so when it will not seem related.}

05 Jan 2026 15:12:05
Thanks, Ed001.

05 Jan 2026 10:09:54
Amorim has been sacked.

05 Jan 2026 11:06:44
He shouldn’t be the only one. Wilcox and berrada should be following him.

05 Jan 2026 03:01:34
In the event INEOS release Amorim, it is Fletcher for interim, apparently.

If INEOS were to release Wilcox, we could make a play for Mitchell, I believe he is still a free agent since Monaco.

If INEOS were to also release Berrada, perhaps Jean-Claude Blanc gets dropped into that role.

Eds, what are your sources saying on this debacle?!

{Ed001's Note - from what I can gather it is not so much a debacle as just a group of people who have been put together and it is not working out. Just a personality clash, as much as a working disagreement. They tried to get them to sort it out between them, but it has just escalated. Now the decision has to be made as to who is the actual issue and they will be replaced. I did expect it to be Wilcox, but Amorim's public comments have just put him in the spotlight and they do not like to be publicly rebuked like that, so I think that you might see Amorim also replaced now.}

05 Jan 2026 07:37:37
Sounds like he is done Ed001, you can't come out and say these things about the hierarchy. It was very Maresca like.

Ken, mentioned, the other week that the football hierarchy at United have backed Amorim and there's a greater plan here and that he wouldn't expect mere mortals like myself to understand.

So, hopefully he reads this and can let us know how the plan is going?

{Ed001's Note - he has basically handed in his notice. It was very strange considering he seemed to have the upper hand.}

05 Jan 2026 08:03:10
Cheers Ed, I really hope that Berrada throws Wilcox under the bus and goes for Mitchell.
I was looking at Freedman, but realised he has since chased the money and is managing in Saudi.

Not overly convinced by Berrada but if he can decipher who is 1. The bigger problem and 2. Who is going to bring longer term success out of Amorim/Wilcox, then I'm willing to get behind the decision.

On the surface, as per previous posts, I have seen progress in our play under Amorim, with some glaring holes that need filling. I guess he is frustrated the holes aren't being filled quickly enough to progress the plan.

{Ed001's Note - I do think Amorim has basically handed in his resignation letter though.}

05 Jan 2026 08:30:09
Sad if this comes to pass as you describe, Ed001, because we are improving under RA. So the merry-go-round continues. When will the lunacy end?!

{Ed001's Note - I believe he had won, but then went public over it. If he had just stayed quiet, I believe things would have changed in his favour. Now I can't see that they have a choice but to get rid, because you can't allow your employees to simply publicly revolt against their bosses.}

05 Jan 2026 08:52:39
Thanks for the reply ed001.

What do you mean when you say you think he had won?

Like, had the upperhand over Wilcox? And who is driving the thing against Wilcox, has Vivell got any say in all of this?

{Ed001's Note - Yes, I believe Wilcox was going to be the one removed and replaced as the pair could not work together. Airing dirty linen in public could have changed that though, now they might feel they have to back Wilcox.

Wilcox and Amorim do not mesh well together, there is friction there apparently.}

05 Jan 2026 09:56:31
ED001,

If Urd do sack RA, who so you think they should go for?

No doubt Xavi will be linked with the job, but I'm not sure he woukd be suited to it. Although he has worked under similar circunstances and Barcelona.

{Ed001's Note - Hoeness and Iraola are the 2 that stand out for me.}

05 Jan 2026 10:16:36
How utterly stupid. Too many short term thinkers out there. There was clear progress and this could set us back. Need to make a really good hire now. If it's Glasner then we'll have the same crap again with people complaining about the formation.

Iraola is probably the one to go for but he might already be lined up elsewhere. Extremely annoyed by all this. Amorim should have been backed and that press conference was recoverable from.

05 Jan 2026 10:31:04
He was manager of the month not long ago, and everything was looking pretty good. As soon as we've hit a bad patch, with a squad affected by AFCON, everyone has gone mad.

05 Jan 2026 10:31:57
Ed001, do you know anything more about the Ashworth sacking last year, it seems Wilcox has amassed a lot of power and apart from him and Berrada being work pals from City, i don't really understand why and what skills he possesses to have this much say over transfers and playing style.

Genuinely confused about the hierarchy at the club.

{Ed001's Note - it was a dispute over the direction of the club. Ashworth didn't want Amorim, oddly enough, Wilcox did.}

05 Jan 2026 10:50:42
Spot on Ed. Just confirmed that Amorim has been removed.

{Ed001's Note - he basically went out and asked for the sack. Very odd behaviour.}

05 Jan 2026 11:00:25
Cheers ED001,

Apparently Vivell has been tasked with recruiting a manager?

Im not sure if that is a good or a bad thing. Presumably they intend to appoint a manager who play a specific style of football?

{Ed001's Note - the alternative is Wilcox, so I think Vivell is the better choice! The plan is someone the whole club from youth level up, can align with.}

05 Jan 2026 11:27:58
Ed001,

Did Berrada and Wilocs perform well at City?

Obviously the club did, we're they appointed because of their success or the clubs successes?

{Ed001's Note - they were not really in a position to have a major effect on decisions, Pep and the guy from Barca that Rafa had previously taken to Liverpool (was it Vilanova? Damn my memory has gone absolutely blank on the name!) were in charge. Wilcox etc all worked under their direction, rather than being the ones tasked with making the decisions. So you would have to say they were appointed because of the club's successes.}

05 Jan 2026 11:38:23
Txiki Begeristain ed?

For some reason I think we will go for xavi.

{Ed001's Note - that's him. He rebuilt Liverpool's academy and produced the blueprint for the club's infrastructure upgrades. He then moved to Citeh and turned their whole infrastructure, including academy, into probably the best in the world.}

05 Jan 2026 11:35:47
ED001,

Was it Txiki Bergiristein?

Thanks.

{Ed001's Note - yes mate, thank you. I can't believe I forgot his name.}

05 Jan 2026 11:50:32
Im surprised the club haven't gone for him. i'm notnaure if he has since retired.

05 Jan 2026 13:27:56
He wasn't at Liverpool was he ed?

{Ed001's Note - no, I think you are right, he was the one Rafa wanted but turned the job down and then took the ones from Liverpool that Rafa did bring in to rebuild the academy. My god I am getting old! Things are getting mixed up in my mind to a frightening degree these days. Was it Borrell and Segura? It is Begiristain who works with Pep though, but very much a partnership as Pep pretty much has full control.}

05 Jan 2026 15:06:33
Rodolfo borrell was definitely a coach worked for city and Liverpool not sure on segura.

06 Jan 2026 09:19:06
Ferran Soriano.

04 Jan 2026 21:52:58
Rumour has it the discontent from amorim and the board is mainoo. They want him to be the posterboy but amorim doesn't want him and wants to sell him.

04 Jan 2026 23:18:03
It is extremely unlikely that that is the case. Nothing suggests this from anything Wilcox, Ratcliffe or Amorim has said.

04 Jan 2026 23:54:54
The board would not mind selling Mainoo one bit, from and ffp perspective he's the best player to sell from this current squad unless Saudi come in for Bruno again.

03 Jan 2026 13:46:44
Rumours today about friction behind the scenes over playing style? And the rigidity of the preferred system.

Add in the latest comments about transfers and it suggests all is not well.

Of course this could be clickbait, bit I think there will be some merit in these rumours.

03 Jan 2026 15:16:51
Good Amorim should be getting a kicking from his bosses.

Playing style is awful.

03 Jan 2026 15:27:09
They’ve known this for ages now, if they expect him to change in any way then more fool them. From where I sit none of them have a clue and look way out of their depth. Maybe the blame game is about to begin!

03 Jan 2026 15:58:44
Here we go again. Might as well just wrap it all up and shut down Manchester United. As it is this hiring sacking hiring sacking cycle isn't taking us anywhere. If the patience is over then so should be this football club.

03 Jan 2026 23:35:59
The embargoed bit from the pre match press conference pretty much confirms these rumours.

Journo asks Amorim why he's changed system, is it because of lack of budget to implement the 3-4-3 or have Wilcox et al had a word because its not been working.

Amorim who hasn't yet met a journalists question that he doesn't want to respond to says he doesn't want to talk about it but that the journalist is smart to observe this.

04 Jan 2026 10:58:50
Excuses and finger pointing from all sides, in reality they are all culpable. The players, coach and those above them.

04 Jan 2026 15:38:12
It's just a typical power struggle. Wilcox and Vivell are sticking their oar in over formation and, in return, Amorim is doing so about recruitment. In reality it's fine for both to do so but it's tense right now while results aren't as good as anyone wants. We're actually in an ok position and with players coming back we should see draws turn into wins.

Too much shaudenfraude here. Utd Road the playing style is not awful. We're creating a lot of chances, and some of the play is very good. We're lacking in some positions and have serious squad deficiencies so of course we aren't fluid or as good as we want to be, but making out as if we're a shambles is very far from reality.

04 Jan 2026 17:18:15
I would say the playing style is awful but Amorim can't play against ten man Everton and show absolutely nothing and follow that up with a several brutal performances and expect unquestioned support in the transfer window. I wouldn't be on Wilcox side either, I think they should both go.

04 Jan 2026 19:24:36
Banjoe what good would that be? We keep just jumping from manager to manager. We finally are addressing the actual issues - that the players aren't good enough - and have done well in the last couple of windows. How about seeing that through for once? There is ample evidence that we're improving. Instead of complaining that we're not consistent or not challengers yet let's stand by the manager.

The question should be "are we improving, and doing so at the rate we expect". At the start of the season most here had us between 4th and 8th and we're currently 5th. Nobody had us in the top 3. We most definitely are on track.

04 Jan 2026 19:54:03
I actually hate this style of play under Amorim. It doesn't feel like United to me, so I'm very happy for him to go but it's not totally his fault. Wilcox and co hired him to implement a system and style and are now not supporting it allegedly. This appointment hasn't worked and I don't believe it ever will.

04 Jan 2026 20:55:09
There’s problems with both sides.

At a club level, they brought in Ashworth to be director of football and implement a club wide playing style. But Berrada and Wilcox are buddies, and wanted Wilcox to have Ashworth’s job. Ratcliffe’s ear was bent by Wilcox because he prefers blaggers who tell him what he wants to hear, rather than professionals who tell the truth. The net result was that Ratcliffe sided with Berrada and Wilcox, leaving the club without a director of football and giving Amorim far more control over playing style.

On Amorim’s part there seems to be an unwillingness to learn. His system worked in one set of circumstances. This does not guarantee that it will work in a completely different league. The fact that he has persisted despite the mounting evidence that it isn’t going to produce winning football for Man United, suggests that he is incapable of adapting. This has been an issue since he arrived, and he has dug in deeper and deeper.

Today’s comments were interesting to say the least. He was explicitly hired as a head coach, not a manager. Yet, claims that he took the job under the belief that he would be a manager rather than a coach. This speaks to the lack of underlying direction regarding play style - i. e. they told Amorim that he would have control over shaping the play style because the DOF resigned. Now that the club directors can no longer ignore the lack of improvement, we’re seeing tension between a coach who thinks he’s a manager, and a leadership team scrambling to rectify their initial mistakes.

The biggest losers are the players and the fans who just want to play/watch winning football.

05 Jan 2026 00:23:25
The style of play isn’t as bad as people make out, we are 2nd in the league for chances created, we are third in the league for goals. There’s been a marked improvement in the offensive output.

One thing to point out is, the club have been inept when it comes to getting the wingbacks required for Amorims system. The offensive output would be even higher if he had the players required for the wingback positions.

Defensively we ship waaaaay to many goals, and the culprit is the midfield, we get unpicked by midfield runners all the time. The midfield has been a problem for years. We need two midfielders ASAP, players with legs, tactical discipline and high energy.

Top four is there for the taking, we need midfield reinforcements to achieve it though. The fact Amorim isn’t getting any suggests to me the board no longer want to back this manager.

I feel for Amorim, he wanted to come at the end of the season but was forced to leave a team flying mid season. Wilcox er Al would have known the hybrid Van Gaal/Mourinho/Ole/Ten Haag Frankenstein squad needed tearing down but they never bought Amorim the players he needs to be a success. A lot of that squad have sacked multiple managers.

Rangnick said it best and his comments look more and more accurate every year.

23 Dec 2025 17:02:19
Had a bit of drive today and had Talksport on, not the most reputable but.

Semenyo- Utd, City and Chelsea apparently most advanced Liverpool lurking, Spurs and Arsenal out of it.

Talk of Neves in Jan for £15M or free at end of season. Confirmed Utd want a 6 and 8, elite level whatever that means, and they may wait to summer for 2 of Anderson, Wharton or Baleba.

Merry Christmas and equally all the best to those who celebrate something else or nothing at all.

23 Dec 2025 20:39:00
Rumours circulating that Semenyo has rejected United in favour of city. No idea how legit those rumours are. But thought I’d share.

23 Dec 2025 20:53:26
It comes from David Ornstein so that's almost as good as confirmed that he'll be going to City.

That's a shame as he'd have been a great signing for us, top quality, EPL proven and capable of playing right across the front line, probably even at wingback. He'd have added a lot to us.

But I can understand why he would choose City right now over us. Yes we might be an exciting club to join right now, but City are pretty much guaranteed to be challenging for all the major honours every year. While for City he could be the signing that swings the title race in their favour.

If he's going elsewhere then let's move on, we should only be signing players who really want to be here fighting for the badge and giving their all for us. Although I expect that significantly reduces the chances of us signing a player in January. I don't think the club will move for a player unless they are a long term target. No short term fixes under the new structure.

24 Dec 2025 11:36:09
I'm not buying the Ruben Neves links either, I just think it's a case of it being a Portuguese midfielder who is looking to leave Saudi and wants to come back to the EPL and us having a Portuguese manager and needing a midfielder.

I just don't see him as a very good fit for an Amorim system, where the midfield needs to be physically strong and athletic due to them needing to cover a lot of ground. He's more of a deep-lying playmaker style of midfielder who needs an aggressive ball winner next to him. Which isn't something Amorim has typically used.

If we were to go for a midfielder in January I'd expect it to be more like someone similar to Conor Gallagher. A dynamic, athletic, box to box type player who can win the ball back and cover a lot of ground in midfield, as that is what we are lacking most. Gallagher would be ideal, and the club did try to get him on loan with an option to buy in the summer, so could go back with a similar deal in January.

That said I believe we will only go for long term targets, players we intend to have around for the next 3-4 years as key players. I can't see us doing any short term deals. So maybe not any loan deals, unless they truly intend to make it permanent in the summer.

24 Dec 2025 13:05:34
Man United are not an exciting team to be joining atm. We are a shambles.

24 Dec 2025 14:58:37
SWYW- Utter nonsense.

24 Dec 2025 23:32:54
IWOTB - can you tell me why that’s nonsense pal? We aren’t an exciting team to join. Yes we are a bit better than last season but nothing exciting yet. Positive steps but not exciting.

26 Dec 2025 19:27:47
SWYS - We are an exciting g club to join. My gut feel is in 18-24 months the United/City picture will be very different….

27 Dec 2025 10:48:37
Swys we are definitely on the ascent. If you can't see that then maybe following sport isn't for you.

28 Dec 2025 10:21:38
Always rated Ruben Neves, but I don’t think he’s the man for us either despite his bargain price tag. He’ll be snapped up in January at that money though, as long as he accepts he won’t be getting Saudi wages in Europe.

16 Dec 2025 20:15:11
Evening Ed,

How likely is a move for Semenyo in January? There is not usually much movement in January but it does seem like it's an opportunity that would be attractive to a few teams if it is true that there will be a fixed fee in place.

How he would fit in would be another discussion.

{Ed001's Note - I don't know of any likely attempt by United in January. I would think there are other priorities.}

16 Dec 2025 20:53:41
What are those priorities and targets, please.

{Ed001's Note - central midfield, wing-back and centre-back.}

16 Dec 2025 22:16:39
Ed001 Semenyo I'd assume would be targeted for wing back. Amorim has mentioned wanting an attacking left sided wing back several times.

17 Dec 2025 08:40:16
Can you please provide likely targets by name?

{Ed001's Note - Midfield: Gomes, Barrios, Anderson, Sadiki, Smit. Interest seems to have cooled in Baleba, no doubt down to his poor season.

Wing-back: I don't have any names but I know that Dorgu is seen as a disappointment and a replacement is being sought.

Centre-back: Murillo, Bastoni, Guehi, Diomande, still interest in Branthwaite though his injury history is likely to put paid to any move materialising, Scalvini, Lacroix and Silva.

I am sure there are probably more of interest, they are just who I know of that you have been watching.}

17 Dec 2025 10:26:12
Thank you for the names Ed001, very much appreciated!

Have often been on the Liverpool site and enviously seen the ITK regular updates there.

{Ed001's Note - very welcome mate. There is a fair bit of crossover luckily, so often players LFC watch are also being tracked by United. So I can sometimes get bits from people who are talking about Liverpool interest, because they will say what other teams they know of are keen.}

17 Dec 2025 13:45:13
Seems like with the interest in centre backs means Martinez and Shaw aren't seen as long terms solutions at the club with the amount of left sided players in the list.
I'd love to see Anderson in the midfield along side kobbie and Bruno if we got to 433.

17 Dec 2025 19:39:33
Appreciated, thanks. Keep it up, . please.

{Ed001's Note - very welcome.}

18 Dec 2025 15:54:57
I do know how likely a move for Semenyo would be in January for us, but I think he'd be a phenomenal signing if we could get him.

We lack real pace in behind when Mbeumo isn't playing, which is something Semenyo would bring.

He is also capable of playing right across the front line and more importantly I think he'd really suit playing in the wingback roles as Amorim ideally likes them to play. Effectively as wingers high and wide, but with a good work rate to help out defensively but they aren't supposed to be defenders.

If you look at the options we currently have in Amad, Dalot, Mazraoui, and Dorgu. The only one who has consistently performed well under Amorim is Amad, who is the only one who isn't naturally a defender. That's not a coincidence, it's due to the role they are supposed to play in this system. It naturally suits a more offensive player.

Amad on the right and Semenyo on the left, with Cunha, Sesko and Mbeumo in-between them would be utterly frightening. Although to balance that out we would need to have two proper defensive midfielders in the pivot. No Bruno Fernandes with that front line, but then would you need him with that front line? Probably not.

18 Dec 2025 19:35:20
Is playing on the left to Semenyo's strengths?

I think he is a quality player, but his best football comes from playing on the right. I really don't want to see players being bought and played out of position, or to accomodate other players.

{Ed001's Note - he can play all over the front line, he has played equally up front and on left and right.}

19 Dec 2025 07:25:58
I think he has scored more from the left than the right agree with ed he is equally effective from either side and gets played from both.
I think he is so good that he could probably play in goal and be effective.

19 Dec 2025 08:52:53
Cheers ED001.

{Ed001's Note - very welcome.}

19 Dec 2025 12:59:43
ED001,

Do. ypu think Semenyo is best suited to a 343 or 433?

{Ed001's Note - I think he can play either equally well - so long as he is at the top end. Playing wing-back would require him to learn a new role altogether and there is no telling how he would get on until he is tried in it.}

19 Dec 2025 13:17:36
Thanks ED001.

{Ed001's Note - very welcome MH.}

19 Dec 2025 20:57:35
Hi Ed,
I noticed Wharton is not listed above, has interest cooled or was it never there?

{Ed001's Note - from what I understand he is off the table in January, I would expect him back on the list for the summer.}

21 Dec 2025 03:40:14
Cheers Ed.

{Ed001's Note - very welcome.}

21 Dec 2025 12:23:44
Ed, if you don't mind. Who do you think we should be looking at? I know that’s not an easy one to answer, but I’d be interested in what type of player/players you think we really need?

{Ed001's Note - your biggest priority, imo, is central midfield. Especially as you are often outnumbered in there due to the tactical shape you employ. So I would go for a Bruno Guimaraes type. I don't think he is going to leave Newcastle, but you need someone like him with drive and desire. Elliott Anderson seems the next best option. I do like Ederson of Atalanta too and Santos of Chelsea I think would grow into an excellent player given a run of games, rather than dicked about like he has been there. I still think Gomes or Andre would step up a level if rescued from Wolves and would both be excellent options. A player like Gallagher could be a useful option - if cheap - as a rotation option. His energy could help make up for the lack of numbers in there, but it would depend on who is next to him. You could get away with a Bruno Fernandes better with Gallagher there, as he wouldn't need to be creative and would do a lot of the legwork to allow the Portugese to play more. The two that have particularly impressed me this season are Miley and Sadiki, though Miley has been playing right-back lately, he has still been a standout for the Toon. Sadiki just always impresses me.

Wing-back is a difficult one, really depends how attacking Amorim wants to go. It is a left sided one you need imo, as Dorgu is dreadful. The problem is that there are so few left-sided options, which is why Citeh ended up with the entirely average Ait-Nouri. Maatsen would be good if he could be prized away from Villa. Lewis-Skelly would be good too - might be worth an ask as he is not getting much game time this season.

Centre-back, the obvious are ones like Schlotterbeck, Murillo and Bastoni. Esteve of Burnley has been impressive this season, I have to say. He might be worth a look at.}

22 Dec 2025 11:53:47
Thanks Ed, appreciate that.

{Ed001's Note - very welcome mate.}