Former Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand, has recently expressed his belief that the club's current manager, Ruben Amorim, would be more than willing to part ways with half of his squad. This comes as the team is currently experiencing a historically poor season in the Premier League.
Manchester United have had a challenging time since Amorim took over from Sporting CP in March. With only six wins out of 25 league matches under their belt, they are currently sitting at an unenviable 16th position in the Premier League table.
Despite this dismal performance in domestic competition, there is still hope for silverware and a spot in next season’s Champions League if they manage to beat Tottenham Hotspur in the upcoming Europa League final.
Ferdinand expresses concerns over squad quality
Ferdinand voiced his concerns about Manchester United's current state on his YouTube channel 'Rio Presents'. He suggested that Amorim must be dissatisfied with the players at his disposal and speculated that he might want to overhaul half of them.
Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United legend, said:
“I think he looks around the dressing room and thinks ‘If I could wave a magic wand, in the next five years at least 50 per cent of this team wouldn’t be here’. Because they’re not good enough and they’re not right for the way he wants to play.”
The former England international also assumes that Amorim will continue managing at Old Trafford for at least five more years. However, he acknowledges that even though Amorim seems safe over this summer - regardless of whether or not they win the Europa League final - he will need to quickly improve results to retain support from club hierarchy.
Rio Ferdinand added:
“I look at him and think that he needs, minimum, two good windows of getting rid of the ones he doesn’t require but also getting in players that he really needs.”
Need for quality recruits
Amorim faces a crucial summer transfer window where he needs backing from management to recruit quality players who can perform well within his preferred high-intensity 3-4-3 formation. However, Ferdinand believes it will take more than just one round of recruitment to get things right again at Old Trafford.
Qualifying for the Champions League would be a significant bonus for Manchester United, not only for prestige but also because it could bring in around £80m for investment in the squad. However, Ferdinand warns that even this might not be enough to restore glory at Old Trafford.
