MANCHESTER UNITED chiefs are “working around the clock” to give Ruben Amorim the tools he needs to fix the club.
But as Amorim and Co landed back home on Monday after their promising US tour ended with a reality check in the Big Peach, one pressing thought dominated.
Should United chief executive Omar Berrada be prioritising a new No.9 and looking to spend £70million-plus on Benjamin Sesko?
Newcastle hit Leipzig’s asking price for the Slovenian frontman on Monday night and are keep to wrap up a deal as soon as possible.
United now must decide whether to make their move.
But the question remains, is it a proper holding midfielder that they REALLY need?
Manuel Ugarte looked no better equipped than he did when flailing through last season, as Everton clearly targeted him in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The £42.3m Uruguayan midfielder, 24, got criminally caught in possession for Iliman Ndiaye’s goal in Sunday night’s 2-2 friendly draw, was treading through treacle at times and looked all at sea for most of his 72 minutes on the pitch.
And when replaced by Casemiro, who remains slower than a pedalo in choppy waters — while Kobbie Mainoo has gone backwards — it exposed glaring vulnerabilities in the centre of midfield.
The attacking trident boss Amorim used for the first 45 minutes, with debutant Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Bruno Fernandes floating in and around each other, was vibrant and exciting.
Amad Diallo, despite playing a part in Ayden Heaven’s own goal that gifted the Toffees a second leveller, offered thrust and dynamism at wing-back. Yet he gave centre-back Leny Yoro scant protection.
While, Mason Mount came off the bench to curl home a delightful effort and show he can contribute.
There are clearly goals in this United squad, even with seemingly-unwanted Rasmus Hojlund on the bench and Joshua Zirkzee still not fit.
Mbeumo, building up fitness after a £65m move from Brentford, has pace, penetration and perception.
Cunha looks a scorer of great goals, if perhaps not a great goalscorer, while skipper Bruno is at his best when looking to hurt opponents with the ball.
Replacing Hojlund with another similar style player, rather than a proven Prem striker like Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, seems a waste of resources given their midfield shortcomings.
For starters, Mateta is available at half the price of RB Leipzig man Sesko.
Finding a Rodri equivalent is, of course, tough. Just ask Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
Ugarte got criminally caught in possession for Iliman Ndiaye’s goal in Sunday night’s 2-2 friendly draw, was treading through treacle at times and looked all at sea for most of his 72 minutes on the pitch.
But what Amorim would give for a Michael Carrick or Owen Hargreaves.
Even so, Amorim was right to highlight positives from their training camp in Chicago and games against West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton.
Yet Fernandes was critical of the “lazy” performance against the Toffees, adding: “We need to change that.
“The situation is improving, but the culture here was winning — and we need to bring that back.
“A lot of people have suffered from this, a lot of people who had been working at the club for many years had to go.
“Fans are paying more for tickets, so it’s up to us to pay it back on the pitch.”
Amorim, asked to respond, was emphatic. He said: “I’m happy for the players to have that feeling.
“They understand the situation.
“We need to be really consistent. But we are better. It’s the perfect feeling to go back to Carrington.
“The momentum of the tour was perfect. We had the weeks to work with a good environment, good feeling.
“Then we go back to Carrington and are near to starting the season, going with the feeling that we need to do a lot of things.”
Including in further recruitment — as captain Fernandes stated in his own message to the board.
The Portuguese midfielder said: “I don’t want to have a dig at anyone.
“The club are doing the best they can in terms of all the financial situations they talk about.
“But it was crystal clear that we needed more competition — more quality to get everyone to step up a bit more.
“That’s what the club and manager are trying to do and, hopefully, we can get one or two players more to help with that.”
In what will be music to Fernandes’ ears, United chief Berrada revealed: “The recruitment team is working round the clock to strengthen our squad.”
Start with the biggest issue, Omar, not the most eye-catching one.
Teams with a polo mint hole in the middle can never win anything.
Read the full article here