Amorim or Anarchy: What Will Manchester United Do Next?
Let Amorim Build or Watch United Crumble
Manchester United’s Crossroads: Why Backing Ruben Amorim Is the Only Way Forward
There comes a moment in every troubled footballing era when truth becomes unavoidable. For Manchester United, that moment is long overdue. The years of self-deception, hollow optimism, and PR gloss have run their course. A club that once set the standard now chases shadows, locked in a cycle of misjudgement, failed ideas, and muddled strategy. What was once Europe’s most feared footballing institution now often resembles an expensive experiment in how not to run a modern football club.
The arrival of someone like Ruben Amorim was not merely a managerial change; it was an opportunity to reset. He may not yet have the medals that dazzle executive boards, but in many ways, that is part of his value. Amorim offers direction, clarity, and the courage to build properly. Manchester United need more than another face in the dugout. They need to decide what they are, what they want to be, and how to get there. That starts by backing Amorim completely, or they risk continuing in the spin cycle that has defined the post-Ferguson era.
Financial Mismanagement and Strategic Drift
Manchester United’s transfer history in the last ten years is a textbook case of how not to rebuild a football club. The problem is not that they have failed to spend. The problem is that they have spent without purpose. The money committed to players like Casemiro, Antony, and Sancho was enormous, yet the return has been minimal. None of those players were bad footballers when they arrived, but they were not what United needed. They were statement signings made without consideration for system or structure.
The club’s reliance on spread payments has now become a burden. Even if United made no new signings this summer, they would still be spending nearly £90m on players they have already brought in. This is the result of panic buying, of rewarding agents, and of trying to plaster over cracks with price tags. Other clubs also structure deals over time, but most of them win trophies or qualify consistently for the Champions League. United have done neither.
The consequence is a transfer window marked by hesitation. There is talk of fiscal discipline, of learning from the past, and of only spending when necessary. But when necessity becomes blurred by indecision, nothing happens at all. The pursuit of a recognised striker, for example, was widely discussed and clearly required. Yet, the club allowed opportunities to slip away. Liam Delap, who would have fitted a pressing system and added depth, chose Chelsea. Talks shifted to Bryan Mbeumo, who is more of a winger than a striker, but a couple of rejected bids later, has dragged on without resolution.
Manchester United’s lack of goals last season was not just a minor tactical issue, it was a major flaw. That has not been addressed properly. In October or November, when results may begin to wobble again, that failure will resurface. The warning signs are there. They have been there for some time.
Ruben Amorim Brings Identity
If Manchester United are serious about turning this around, then they must do something they have not done in years. They must commit to a vision and stay with it. Amorim offers them that chance. At Sporting Lisbon, he transformed a stagnant side into champions through principles, player development, and tactical clarity. He did it without spending recklessly, and with young players who suited his methods.
His appointment would not guarantee success, but it would guarantee direction. That alone would be a vast improvement on what United have been operating with. Every manager since Ferguson has inherited a broken squad, been given partial control, and ultimately been blamed when the contradictions caught up with them. Amorim deserves better than that. He must be trusted to lead the project fully, from training ground to recruitment policy.
This would mean uncomfortable decisions. Players who cost a fortune: Casemiro, Anthony, and Sancho may need to be moved on, even at a loss. Younger players must be promoted based on potential, not shirt sales. And, most importantly, the board must resist the urge to override the football plan when panic sets in after a few bad results.
Backing Amorim means letting go of the idea that one or two blockbuster signings can fix years of decay. It means understanding that the root of the problem is not the last result, but the last decade.
If Rashford and Garnacho don’t fit his blueprint, and it’s clear they don’t, then take the loss on the chin and move on.
Spin Cycle of Desperation
There is a phrase now associated with Manchester United, one that captures the hopelessness many supporters feel. The spin cycle. It refers to the repetitive pattern of hiring a new manager, making promises about long-term vision, rushing into the market to support him, then undermining that plan the moment things turn. The outcome is always the same. A bloated squad, a sacked manager, and a new set of plans.
Under this model, nothing lasts. No ideas are allowed to mature. Every summer becomes an exercise in clearing up the last one. Every January becomes a crisis. The club lurches from cautious optimism to desperate spending and back again, leaving players confused, fans frustrated, and rivals unchallenged.
It is a model built on fear, not ambition. And it has to end.
The only way out is to stop pretending that Manchester United are one or two signings away. The truth is more sobering. This is not a rebuild. It is a reset. Amorim is not a final piece. He is the foundation.
A New Kind of Discipline
There has been talk inside the club of more discipline in the transfer market. On the surface, that is welcome. Manchester United can no longer afford to pay over the odds for players just because rivals are showing interest. But discipline must apply across the board. It is not only about money. It is about purpose.
That means resisting the urge to abandon strategy when the pressure mounts. In the past, defeats early in the season have triggered rash moves. The signings of Casemiro and Antony came after poor starts. These were talented players, but they were not part of a long-term system. They were responses to criticism.
If Amorim is to be their long-term manager, then the club must protect him from that environment. The reactionary culture must be replaced by a strategic one. Fans will accept patience if they see progression. They will not accept confusion.
Even now, with the transfer window open, Manchester United seem caught between two instincts. On one side is the desire to show they have learned from past mistakes. On the other is the impulse to win headlines and satisfy short-term demands. This inner conflict has defined the club’s behaviour for too long.
The Time for Courage
Manchester United must find the courage to think differently. The bravest thing they can do right now is not to spend more money. It is to build a footballing project that lasts beyond the next boardroom reshuffle. Amorim has shown he can do that in Portugal. The challenge now is whether United have the conviction to let him do it in England.
The history of this club is rich, but history cannot score goals or organise a back four. Sentiment cannot replace structure. Manchester United have already wasted too much time and money chasing illusions. It is time for something real.
Back Amorim, not because he is flawless, but because he is focused. Support his project, not with slogans, but with decisions that align with it. Protect it from the noise. Give it time to breathe.
If they do not, Manchester United will remain what they have become. A club of staggering potential, endlessly spinning in search of answers it once had but no longer understands.