Manager Ruben Amorim knew he was taking on a difficult task when he took over at Manchester United, but the scale of the rebuilding process has surprised even him.
Amorim has now been in charge of nine games as the Red Devils' head coach. During this time, Man United have won four, lost four, drawn one, scored 17 goals and conceded 17.
A 4-0 win over Everton and a 2-1 comeback win over Manchester City showed promise under Amorim, but the inconsistency of the Erik ten Hag era remains.
The 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford to Bournemouth last weekend showed how much work the Portuguese needs to do. The January transfer window may be a viable solution, but it is a difficult time to sign players. Remember, Man United are already considering losing tens of millions of pounds to sell Marcus Rashford.
When contacted by Man United, Amorim offered to take over at the end of this season. However, he was forced to leave Sporting immediately and now needs to speed up the work.
When it comes to his squad, Amorin faces the same dilemma as Sir Jim Ratcliffe with the stadium issue. Try to improve and modernise or build from scratch?
At this point, the 39-year-old strategist cannot tear down and start rebuilding Man United's squad, but the changes must be as comprehensive as possible.
It is fair to say that many of United’s current players are to blame for the mediocrity that has seeped into the squad. Players like Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof, Joshua Zirkzee, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen are either too old or not good enough to fit into Amorim’s future plans.
In reality, the only players who are likely to have a long-term future at Old Trafford appear to be Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martinez and Alejandro Garnacho. Amorim need some world-class midfielders and a proven striker. And the rebuilding must begin in the January transfer window.
A common theme at Man United is that new managers come and go, but the problem remains. Since Sir Alex Ferguson left, a number of veteran managers have arrived at Old Trafford but all have failed.
Ruben Amorim clearly knows what he is doing, as his experience at Sporting doesn't seem to be of much help.
