Ruben Amorim said he “doesn’t know” if Manchester United can last the course in the race for the Champions League this season, but added that given the situation in the table it’s “realistic” they could move into the top four in the coming weeks.
Manchester United are planning a significant clear-out of four first-team players in the upcoming January transfer window to finance a move for a new central midfielder and boost their hopes of securing a Champions League spot, according to a report from ESPN.
United currently sit seventh in the Premier League, only three points behind third-placed Chelsea, and are set to leverage their absence from European competition this season as an advantage in the race for a top-five finish.
Head coach Ruben Amorim is reportedly “hopeful that a major signing could arrive in January.” To make this possible, the club is prepared to sanction departures, with offers for Kobbie Mainoo, Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte, and Tyrell Malacia to be “seriously considered.”
Mainoo, who has only played 171 Premier League minutes this term, is considered “unfancied by Amorim” after he attempted to leave on loan last summer.
Meanwhile, Amorim offered support to forward Matheus Cunha, who has struggled to find the net.
The coach stressed that Cunha “has more levels to go” and was “thinking too much about the numbers” when his “influence that he has in the team is so important for us.”
Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller is understood to be a leading target for the new midfield recruit.