October 29th 2024.
Jamie Carragher has shared his thoughts on Manchester United's recent transfer policy, urging the club to shift their focus away from big names in order to give their next manager a better chance at success. After a chaotic reign under Erik ten Hag, who officially departed on Monday, United must now find a suitable replacement. Ruben Amorim is currently the leading candidate and talks with Sporting Lisbon have shown promise.
Whoever takes the helm will be inheriting a team that has had a disappointing start to the season, currently sitting in 14th place in the Premier League table and without a win in Europe. Despite changes behind the scenes, United's new transfer decision makers seem to be making the same mistakes as in the past, with the summer signings already being questioned, such as young striker Joshua Zirkzee who is struggling to make an impact.
As an outsider looking in, Carragher believes United are too focused on big names rather than paying attention to the numbers, which has been evident in their recent player deals. He points out that players like Matthijs de Ligt, who struggled at Juventus and Bayern Munich, were expected to excel at Old Trafford without any real justification. The same can be said for players like Manuel Ugarte, who was only a substitute at Paris St-Germain, and Zirkzee, who seems to be a long way off from being a Manchester United player.
Carragher also highlights the timing of Ten Hag's departure, which came less than 24 hours after a controversial defeat at West Ham, as a sign that United may have already secured a deal with Amorim to be their next head coach. He compares this situation to when Liverpool sacked Brendan Rodgers in October 2015 and waited for the right replacement, Jurgen Klopp, to become available.
Overall, Carragher's message is clear: United need to focus on the right players and the right timing in order to turn their fortunes around. The club cannot afford to make the same mistakes in the transfer market if they want to succeed under their new manager. As for who that manager will be, the odds are currently in favor of Amorim, followed by Ruud van Nistelrooy, Gareth Southgate, Graham Potter, Thomas Frank, Xavi Hernandez, Julian Nagelsmann, Kieran McKenna, Michael Carrick, and Eddie Howe. Only time will tell who will take on this challenging role at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
