Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has expressed interest in clearing out certain academy players who don’t fit his system to help the club financially.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has come out saying that he is looking to sell the academy players who are “maybe not good enough” to be playing for United.
This decision has come to work to raise the funds to work within the Profit and Sustainability Rules which impact clubs so much in the transfer market.
United’s former Director of Academy, Nick Cox, worked to raise £100million from academy sales during his six years at the club, ending his time with the Reds this September to start a career at Everton.
Since Cox’s departure, United’s Director of Football, Jason Wilcox, has identified the academy as an area that is in need of improvement.
Balancing tradition and transition
United are known for its long history of providing young players with opportunities, although some people are arguing that since the arrival of Amorim, the Portuguese manager has failed to keep up with the trend, not giving the correct opportunities to players within the academy system.
When speaking to Stan Sport, Amorim revealed that when he first joined the club last November, he struggled with prioritising academy players.
He has also recently focused a lot of his discussion on why he feels it’s vital to begin selling certain academy players in this newfound era of PSR regulations.
“First thing, when I arrived last year, it was really tough.” Amorim explained, “We had so many games but no time to prepare everything, to look around, to understand the game and the kids that are here, what is the plan for them and talk with all the coaches to try to arrange their perfect space to play”
Amorim sets out his blueprint
Speaking further on the academy, Amorim added: “Under-18, Under-21, who is going to play where, so we are doing that now. I’m enjoying that part. I think it’s going to be, like any club in the world, but especially here in England, with the fair play.
“The players that you can put in the first team to feel the badge, but also the players that are maybe not good enough to play for Manchester United, but can give us some money when you sell them, to try to compensate for the financial fair play to buy different players.”
When speaking on this, he later recognised that he still feels hopeful regarding academy talent, hoping to achieve the same success as previous United managerial greats. “I think the future of our club is going to be the academy because, like you said, if you look at the biggest years with the most success was with the academy players.”
Finally adding, “In the current moment, we also have that part if you sell a player from our academy, all the money you can use it to buy another. So I think we need to be really focused on that.”
This makes people pose the question of whether the wait for United’s squad to become filled with academy hopefuls will take just a bit longer.
A new era for United future stars
Amorim still has hopes for future success in terms of the academy informing sources how United’s “Sporting director has a background with the academies and young kids, so we are doing everything to put these kids in the first team for us to be competitive in any way in the Premier League.“
Alejandro Garnacho is proof of how selling academy graduates benefits the greater good of the club, with United receiving £40 million for the Argentinian International, the highest sale of a United academy graduate ever.
Read More: Joao Pedro explains immediate hope he has for “brilliant” Alejandro Garnacho after Man Utd transfer
When Amorim was asked what he’s looking for when considering adding young players to his matchday squad, he replied, “It’s an honour to play for Manchester United. Sometimes, some kids take that for granted. That is the first thing.”
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