Manchester United may be forced into action in January as they look to beat Manchester City to a new midfield star for Ruben Amorim, it has been reported.
Manchester United need reinforcements
The Red Devils’ opening game of the Amorim era, a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town, showed just how much work was still needed to turn them back into a force in the Premier League.
Players returning from injury will help that, with the likes of Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo all likely to be a part of Amorim’s new look 3-4-3 Manchester United side, but Amorim himself has warned that there are no easy fixes to the predicament at Old Trafford.
“I know it is frustrating for the fans but we are changing so much in this moment with a lot of games. We are going to suffer for a long period. We will try to win games but this will take time”, he explained.
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“We have to risk it a little bit 1732797891 and in the next year we will be better [otherwise] next year at the same stage we will be here with the same problems.”
Part of the improvement will come on the training ground, but more will come in the transfer window as Amorim adds players capable of playing his style of football and system, with the club already having been linked to a whole host of new players ahead of the January transfer window.
Now, they have been tipped to accelerate their move for a new midfielder amid Manchester City interest.
Man Utd could make January move for Sporting star ahead of Man City
That is according to GiveMeSport, who report that Amorim has been “forced to contend with fresh competition” for Sporting midfielder Morten Hjulmand, with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side also keen on the Danish international.
It is claimed that “Manchester United and Manchester City had scouts in attendance for the Portuguese heavyweights’ Champions League clash with Arsenal on Tuesday, and Hjulmand was among those on the pitch being watched closely”, with the midfielder understood to have a £67m release clause in his Sporting contract.
As a result of rival interest, they add that “United may fast-track their plans” and “attempt to strike a deal in January” in what would be another mega-money move at Old Trafford, having previously been eyeing up a deal for the summer.
This, of course, would be a major change of heart from Amorim, who has previously publicly claimed he will not sign anyone from Sporting before the summer transfer window out of respect for his former side.
|
Hjulmand under Amorim |
|
|
Appearances |
65 |
|
Starts |
57 |
|
Goals |
6 |
|
Assists |
5 |
|
Yellow Cards |
17 |
“I won’t [sign Sporting players] in January, that’s what I said. I don’t know about the summer.”
However, with rival interest mounting he may decide that he needs to move sooner rather than later to land his key men from the previous regime, and make Manchester United a major force again.
Meanwhile, Hjulmand is thought to have become more keen on the move, and the report adds that the Red Devils’ “chances of being able to convince him” to move to Old Trafford “have increased thanks to appointing Amorim.”
Any move would be a little odd, given that Hjulmand was signed by Sporting as a direct replacement for Manuel Ugarte, who joined PSG earlier that summer and is now at Manchester United. However, with both Casemiro and Christian Eriksen arguably in their final years at the top, midfield reinforcements remain vital at Old Trafford.