Rúben Amorim reportedly feels he’s about to unlock a huge piece of his puzzle at Manchester United that could be unleashed against Tottenham.
Jason Wilcox and the Manchester United board have initiated their transfer plans for the 2026 transfer window, aiming to secure key signings to further develop Ruben Amorim’s ideal squad.
The board is weighing whether to sign another central defender to add to the list of top-quality defenders recently signed by the club.
This includes Ayden Heaven, who has featured sporadically, and Leny Yoro, who has fought his way into the starting eleven on many occasions.
As well as the experienced Mathijs de Ligt, who has been one of the best signings made in recent years at the club, and a like-for-like replacement for the injured Lisandro Martinez.
Amorim feels Martínez is a huge boost at United
Grame Bailey has revealed, speaking to United in Focus, that Martinez is the most important part of the defensive set-up for future years, and would be a huge loss if he struggles to stay fit in the future.
Bailey explains how the future formation of the back line, consisting of de Ligt, Yoro, and Martinez, could be ‘locked in’ for the foreseeable future.
“Whilst the likes of Maguire and Shaw, going forward, have a limited shelf-life – Martinez could be locked in for years, indeed a Martinez, De Ligt and Leny Yoro back-three shows that United could already have everything they need, defensively speaking, at the club already.”
Bailey continues, commenting on how Amorim favours Martinez for his ideal backline and sees him as a player who could be a significant piece to his United jigsaw puzzle.
“Martinez is a player that Amorim rates highly, very highly. He firmly believes that a fit and firing Martinez could be a huge piece of the jigsaw at United going forward.”
There is no doubt that Martinez is a valued player at the club; however, the fans need to see how good he can be on the pitch after his injury, which could be on display as early as his trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
Injury proneness is the only flaw for Amorim’s perfect defender
The club has reportedly sent scouts to monitor defenders available on the market for next season, observing Marc Guehi and Nico Schlotterbeck as options if they decide to pursue another defender.
Fans and United academy staff also rate Heaven and the young Godwill Kukonki as future prospects for the first team; however, the club feels both are not ready to be out-and-out starters every week.
However, Martinez remains the ideal option: “United’s scouts, looking at defenders, regularly feed back to the club that nobody is a better fit than a fully fit Martinez.”
The club appears set to sign an alternative defender, and fans will anticipate a quality signing that fits the bill. That said, Amorim is not short of options.
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