Man Utd duo singled out by Ruben Amorim in pointed transfer message | Football | Sport

INEOS, since taking over Manchester United’s football operations, have faced a fair share of criticism for their handling of fan communication and ticket pricing under Sir Jim Ratcliffe. However, the club has seen significant improvements in player recruitment and sales. While not every transaction is met with universal approval, there appears to be a clear strategy that United is implementing in the transfer market.

Jason Wilcox, the sporting director, shed light on this during a recent episode of the Inside Carrington podcast. He said: “Last year’s summer window was a lot more chaotic than this one. This one was really calm, we knew the plan, we knew which players we were going to target, we had our lists, we knew which areas of the pitch we needed to improve.

“These are continuous meetings between myself and Ruben [Amorim] with Chris Vivell and his team underneath. We are very clear on the profiles that we need. The brief will come from myself and Ruben, it goes into Chris.

“[There is] a lot of debate and discussion around the profiles of what we need and then the scouts will go into the market. We combine that with the data team and there will be constant dialogue. Right now, I am having weekly meetings with the recruitment team of the profiles, the age bracket, the cost, are they attainable with Ruben as well. It is a really joined up approach.”

This represents a significant departure from the recruitment strategy employed under Erik ten Hag’s tenure. At times, it appeared he was the sole figure identifying potential signings.

Whilst some of his former players have proved to be solid acquisitions, Lisandro Martinez enjoyed a strong start, and Matthijs de Ligt is improving with each passing week, numerous others failed to meet the necessary standards. However, if Wilcox honours his commitment and the manager retains input on recruitment matters, the board must pay attention to Amorim’s recent comments.

Amorim was questioned about why his side’s performance levels were declining in the latter stages of matches. In his reply, the Portuguese manager emphasised the absence of two players who may no longer be at the club when next season begins.

He said: “I think we have some problems in two games that we lost, we lose Casemiro with some pain, Harry Maguire the same thing, and they are key players. Not just the way they play and the experience they have, the set pieces and people don’t take that into consideration.”

The United pair are both due to see their contracts expire at the season’s conclusion. Currently, neither individual is expected to remain beyond that point.

Casemiro has indicated his desire to carry on playing football after this campaign. Despite United possessing an option to prolong his deal by an additional 12 months, the club would prefer to negotiate fresh terms to reduce his wages.

United have already exercised the option to extend his contract by an additional 12 months, meaning a fresh agreement would be required. It’s likely that United will aim to reduce his salary to reflect his anticipated playing time beyond 2026.

At this moment in time, Maguire appears the most likely to remain. However, if either or both of these players depart Old Trafford in 2026, United face a significant challenge in finding suitable replacements.

Amorim recognises that neither player represents the future of United, but their absence noticeably weakens the team.

This should set off warning signals within Old Trafford. Replacing such seasoned Premier League and European players will be no easy feat, and this interview has highlighted the issue well in advance.

Should both players decide to leave, United will need to bring in high-quality, experienced replacements. Failure to do so could result in a loss of crucial squad depth for the 2026/27 season.