Ruben Amorim's first summer at Manchester United has been beset by problems, with the club struggling to rebuild. The head coach has added only Matheus Cunha from Wolves for his £62.5m release clause, a significant chunk of a budget constrained by £1bn of debt and the need to sell before buying. No striker has arrived, and a move for Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo has stalled over the fee.
The 'infamous five' – Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Tyrell Malacia – have been ordered to train separately. The quintet, all of whom the club say want to leave, skulk in for training at 5pm, after the rest of the squad has departed. This approach has reduced their market value, complicating efforts to raise funds.
United are in a state of flux. After finishing 15th in the Premier League with a minus-10 goal difference, Christian Eriksen stated the club were lucky not to be relegated. Sir Jim Ratcliffe's cost-cutting has seen over 1,100 staff face redundancy. The Europa League final was lost 1-0 to Tottenham in Bilbao, and there is no European football this season.
Bruno Fernandes, the club's best player, rejected a £100m move to Al-Hilal. Amorim persuaded the captain to stay, but the decision to keep a 30-year-old on expensive wages while the club posted £300m losses over three years has been questioned. A protracted transfer window leaves United underprepared for the opening Premier League match against Arsenal.
