This season, under the leadership of two successive head coaches, Manchester United's performance has been consistently poor, which was unexpected by the management. Originally, according to the management's plan, Manchester United did not intend to make big transfers during the winter transfer window. However, it now appears that in response to Amorim's strong demands to quickly lift the team out of its slump, the owner Ratcliffe is prepared for reinforcements. At least in the center forward and left wing-back positions, Manchester United is expected to welcome top-level new signings simultaneously. At the same time, the club is also carrying out a cleanup of surplus players.
In the attacking end, Manchester United's recent efficiency has been unconvincing. In the last three games, they have conceded seven goals, with an average of over two goals per game. The high-priced attackers have collectively failed to deliver, leaving head coach Amorim at a loss. As the team's de facto star player, Rashford has become the team's biggest "burden." Just two seasons ago, Rashford was one of the most efficient forwards in the Premier League, almost single-handedly shouldering the majority of Manchester United's scoring tasks. However, since signing a contract with Manchester United worth a weekly salary of 325,000 pounds, Rashford seems to have suddenly lost his motivation, and his performance has been hovering at a low point since last season.
After Amorim joined the team, Rashford had a brief moment of brilliance, scoring three goals, but he was soon benched by Amorim, unable to even make the matchday squad. The main reason is the casual attitude of this England international in training and the locker room, which has made Amorim lose patience. Currently, the management has completely lost confidence in Rashford, considering him the primary target for clearance. According to the Telegraph, Manchester United has set a price of around 40 million pounds for Rashford. However, considering the player's poor form and high salary, a direct transfer at this price is considered almost impossible. Loaning out seems to be the only way for Rashford to leave.
Besides Rashford, another expensive attacker, Antony, is also up for sale. Unlike Rashford, who came through the youth ranks and at least had outstanding performances, Antony, who cost the team 100 million euros, has never lived up to his price tag since joining Old Trafford. This season, Antony has been relegated to the bench, only making six league appearances for a total of 83 minutes, with his value plummeting to 20 million euros. Currently, several teams from La Liga are interested in signing Antony, and Manchester United hopes to sell the Brazilian international in a "half-sell, half-giveaway" manner.
In the center forward position, the efficiency of the two strikers, Hojlund and Zirkzee, has been worrying this season. They have only scored five goals in a combined 1589 minutes of league play, averaging over 300 minutes per goal. In the eyes of outsiders, the lack of a top striker has become one of Manchester United's main problems. Relatively speaking, Hojlund has received some recognition for his positive attitude and more running in matches, and the team is willing to give him more opportunities. On the other hand, Zirkzee, who is in poor form and has a bad attitude, seems useless and is likely to leave during the winter transfer period.
According to the Star, Amorim believes that the current situation is "burning urgency," and the team must quickly reinforce. He has communicated with multiple levels of Manchester United's management and clearly expressed the above stance. Amorim's chosen candidate is his former player, Zekerajesh. The Swedish striker has been one of the top three most efficient scorers in European football over the past two seasons, scoring 27 goals this season. It is reported that Manchester United is expected to soon send an offer to Sporting Portugal, aiming to sign the 80 million-pound center forward player in a lightning-fast deal. (Images sourced from the internet; if there is any infringement, please contact us to remove them)