Jaap Stam has predicted Ruben Amorim will face one squad dilemma at Manchester United that could heavily impact his transfer plans.
The Sporting CP coach will commemorate his final game in charge of the Primeira Liga leaders on Sunday when they travel to Braga. Amorim, 39, is due to officially begin his reign at Old Trafford the following day and will have a fortnight-long international break to get to grips with his new squad.
United have struggled for success in recent years despite spending a fortune on transfers, including around £600million of player investment under Erik ten Hag alone. But Stam – who was part of the Red Devils’ treble-winning team of 1999 – believes the tools are there for the new boss to implement his Sporting strategy to good effect.
“He plays with three up top; two wingers, two holding midfielders, and a five (or three) at the back, and the wing-backs a little higher up,” he told Mirror Sport, in partnership with BetMGM. “But all these players who are now in the squad, they fit that system as well.
“Because they’ve got three centre-backs who are very good quality-wise. Well, more than three, of course. They’ve got [Matthijs] De Ligt, they’ve got [Lisandro] Martinez and [Harry] Maguire. [Jonny] Evans, even. So they can all play with three at the back.”
United have preferred to pack the midfield during Ten Hag’s tenure, often playing captain Bruno Fernandes in front of a more defensively minded double pivot. However, a shift to three centre-backs could remove one of those options and increase competition for one of the highly coveted central midfield slots.
“But the two in the middle of the park is gonna be a big challenge for him,” Stam continued. “To say which is the ideal setup – is it with Bruno, is it with Casemiro, is it with [Manuel] Ugarte, or somebody else? Does he want to play Bruno as one of the wingers tucking inside? That’s a big choice to make over there.
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“But probably the manager wants to bring in his own players as well. And there’s always [that] difficulty for a club that just spent so much money bringing players in… what are you going to do with those other players – are they going to leave the club?”
Stam also highlighted the importance of bringing through young talent, with Kobbie Mainoo‘s development in central midfield a critical concern for the club. Fewer openings in the middle of the park could hinder the 19-year-old, who took the Premier League by storm after bursting onto the scene last season.
It seems all but inevitable Uruguay anchor Ugarte, 23, will feature in Amorim’s plans after the pair won the Portuguese Cup together at Sporting. And skipper Fernandes – who left Lisbon five weeks before Amorim took charge of Sporting – is another safe bet to rank high in the new chief’s pecking order.
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Brazilian Casemiro has an a positive of his own with regards to Amorim’s arrival, given their language connection, while the incoming head coach may be motivated to make the most of United’s highest earner. That could leave Mainoo out in the cold somewhat, at least in the short term as the academy graduate looks to impress Ten Hag’s successor.
With options aplenty in one of the more competitive areas of the squad, it could be that Amorim chooses to focus on other parts of the pitch when it comes to reinforcements in 2025. January spending already looks unlikely given the cost of changing manager mid-season, but Amorim will get his chance to make his own imprint on the squad come next summer.
Jaap Stam was speaking on behalf of BetMGM. Play the new £1million Golden Goals game this season by correctly predicting Premier League scores. BeGambleAware 18+.
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