Man United have lost four consecutive games and dropped to 14th in the Premier League table, just seven points above relegation. Coach Ruben Amorim needs to increase personnel but will find it difficult to make new deals this month due to the rules of the Financial Fairness Act (FFP), unless the team sells players.
Where are the difficulties?
In September 2024, United announced a loss of £113 million for the 2023-2024 season, despite record revenue. Last season, the Red Devils played in the Champions League but this year they only played in the Europa League, so the prize money received was significantly less.
UEFA's increase in the number of group stage and play-off matches will help increase the revenue of football teams. However, with the current situation, United will almost certainly not participate in the Champions League next season, even qualifying for the Europa League is difficult. They are 13 points behind the top 4. If they do not cut costs from now on, the club will easily violate financial regulations.
That is why billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe has always tried to cut costs since taking over the club's stake. Man United even canceled Sir Alex Ferguson's role as ambassador and increased ticket prices to £66 despite sacking hundreds of staff in the summer.
But those efforts have failed to cover the Red Devils' losses from the compensation. They spent around £3 million to get Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth, but sacked him a few months later.
Man United also have to pay Southampton to recruit technical director Jason Wilcox. Former coach Erik ten Hag was compensated about 17 million pounds after being fired. They also have to pay £8 million to release coach Ruben Amorim's contract at Sporting CP. All of these payments are counted in the FFP.
How to get Man United to buy a new player?
Not to mention, Man United spent £206 million on 5 signings in the summer, putting them in a difficult position this month. This is also a familiar story that has occurred in the three recent January transfer windows. But this time it's worse, because they don't have the budget to buy players, unless they have to sell a few people in the squad.
Selling Marcus Rashford is now considered the most feasible, as his future is no longer guaranteed under Amorim. Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans are also in a similar situation. But it will be difficult to sell any of this defensive trio because they are all experienced players and it is difficult to find replacements.
Another name that can be considered is Christian Eriksen. He will expire in the summer, meaning January will be the Red Devils' last chance to earn a fee from selling the Danish midfielder.
Coach Ruben Amori himself also admitted that he has to try to improve the available personnel. He said after the defeat to Newcastle on December 30: "We don't have that ability (to buy more players) in January. You probably know the situation better than me. It's not me who came here and can spend a lot of money to change the team. You all know the situation so there's no point in talking about transfers."
