Ruben Amorim set to ‘operate on more modest budget’ than Erik ten Hag

• Man Utd keen to avoid another expensive squad overhaul
• Ruben Amorim will have less of a budget than Erik ten Hag
• Tasked with unlocking potential in the team he’s inherited

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim looks set to be tasked with getting the best out of players already at the club, rather than being afforded any kind of major squad overhaul.

Amorim has started work following his appointment as Erik ten Hag’s permanent successor and will take charge of his first game when United face Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Sunday.

Speculation over the last three weeks has been rife as to which players might join the Portuguese at Old Trafford, particularly those he has successfully worked with at former club Sporting CP. And while signings over coming transfer windows are to be expected, it won’t be to build a brand new squad.

The Daily Telegraph explains that Amorim is set to “operate on a more modest budget” than Ten Hag previously did. The Dutchman was given 21 new permanent or loan signings over five transfer windows at an estimated total cost of almost £600m. United also spent big money in the first transfer window after Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were hired.

Instead, Amorim’s chief task is “maximising the untapped potential” in the squad as it sits, with a view to ending what has become a “costly cycle of mass overhauls” every few seasons. The new sporting hierarchy are said to feel the current squad is capable of much more than has been seen so far, with a number of players thought to have a higher ceiling with the right coaching setup and support – even more experienced stars or those who could end up in new roles.

Those particularly named are Rasmus Hojlund, who has shown his ability in flashes without consistent results, and Mason Mount, who has often struggled to make an impact when fit.

But Marcus Rashford also had a dire season in 2023/24 off the back of a 30-goal campaign a year prior, with Joshua Zirkzee yet to justify his summer price tag, and the likes of Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo and Leny Yoro requiring careful nurturing at this stage of their careers.