Transfer Q&A: 'Approach has to be players who fit the system'
- Published
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter Simon Stone has been answering your questions on the transfer window.
Andy: How do Manchester United approach transfers this window, knowing that performances from the team and the manager have not been good enough, so it may require another coach at some point next season? Should they align with Ruben Amorim's tactics or look generally at gaps?
Simon: Good question. There is a strong argument for saying United's hierarchy completely messed this up last summer. They had a choice between sticking with Erik ten Hag - who who was not even certain to be in charge for the FA Cup final after the shocking 4-0 loss at Crystal Palace - or bringing someone else in. They went for Ten Hag, then backed him to the tune of £200m - as a show of support given they had kept him hanging on for weeks.
In Leny Yoro's case, it was buying for the future. With Joshua Zirkzee and Matthijs de Ligt, it was players who had not been near the top of their previous recruitment list.
Having done that, they sacked Ten Hag after nine games, ignored obvious alternatives such as Marco Silva and Thomas Frank, who might have been a better fit for the squad, and told Amorim he had to start work immediately, knowing he had a specific system he preferred to play.
That is a very long-winded way of saying I am not sure how they can fail to bring in players that suit Amorim. What would the point of hiring him have been otherwise? The approach has to be players who fit the system. If there is even the smallest doubt - and I am not getting the sense there is, I would stress - it would be better to sever ties this summer rather than repeat last year's cycle.