A Manchester United legend has said that the club were handed a £125 million warning from a Premier League rival, and Ruben Amorim must respond
Manchester United were very active in the summer transfer window when it comes to both purchasing and offloading players, as they looked to reshape their squad ahead of a crucial campaign.
To address the mere 44 goals scored by the club last season in the Premier League, Ruben Amorim’s side spent a combined £214 million to sign a new forward line, with Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Šeško making their way to Old Trafford.
With both Andre Onana and Altay Bayındır both being at fault for goals in the opening four games of the season, showing they may not have what it takes to be United number one, United also made a move for highly talented Belgian keeper, Senne Lammens for £18.1 million.
Manchester United raised substantial funds in the final week of the summer transfer window as Amorim reshaped his squad. Alejandro Garnacho’s £40 million move to Chelsea was the headline departure, though Rasmus Højlund’s season-long loan to Napoli could prove even more lucrative, with a £38 million obligation to buy if Antonio Conte’s side qualifies for the Champions League.
Elsewhere, Antony joined Real Betis for £21.7 million plus a 50% sell-on clause, while Marcus Rashford moved to Barcelona on loan with an option to buy for around £30 million next summer. Jadon Sancho also left on loan, joining Aston Villa on loan, with the Birmingham side covering 80% of his wage.
Liverpool send a clear warning
Fresh off the back of winning their second Premier League title, Liverpool were very active in the summer window, breaking the British transfer record twice to secure the signing of Florian Wirtz for £116 million and Alexander Isak for £125 million to take their summer spending to a record £446 million.
Former Manchester United star, Dwight Yorke feels that Liverpool’s spending over the summer shows the real mark of a champion, with the mindset to always improve.
“Everybody is improving, and every year, each team tries to improve,” Yorke told Jackpot City Casino. “Arne Slot has come in and hasn’t made too many changes. He’s built on the winning formula that Jurgen Klopp left and has managed to turn it over.
“But he thinks to go another step because the team will improve. He needs to improve; he needs to add. Alexander Isak is one of the best players in the league currently. His stats show that, and he thinks this will be vital.
“You need that edge. You need that to stay ahead of the pack because people are closing the gap, and Isak is one of those players who will give him that little bit of a cushion going forward.”
“Right now, I think he [Slot]’s still got the edge, but they know that there are teams like Manchester City who we are told will push them all the way but come up short against Tottenham,” Yorke added.
“If you don’t stay one step ahead, people are going to be closing that gap very closely. That’s why the whole Isak thing has come about because even though you spend heavily, they’re still in a good position to add that kind of value to the team. It should send a clear warning to everybody else.”
United need to respond
Liverpool have seemingly learned from the best, mirroring United’s tactics around the turn of the century to stay ahead of the competition. Yorke himself was signed for a then club record fee of £12.6 million from Aston Villa in the summer of 1998.
Sir Alex Ferguson already had Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in his squad to choose from, but still targetted Yorke to boost his options, before going on to win the treble in 1999.
While United no longer have that spending power, they’ve worked to right the wrongs from their poor business over the past few years. They’ve worked to slash their wage bill, and have shifted their focus to signing up and coming talent rather than ready made players for inflated fees as seen by the signings of the likes of Ayden Heaven, Leny Yoro, Chido Obi, Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu and now Lammens.
Ultimately, the only way that United can respond to this is by doing so on the pitch. Amorim has to start getting better results on a much more consistent basis, and simply has to secure European football, with Champions League football being the main goal.
If the club want to win the league again by their 150th anniversary in 2028, as previously said by Omar Berrada, United need to start performing on the pitch, or risk getting left behind by the likes of Liverpool.
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