Ruben Amorim’s biggest Man United transfer priority is an upgraded version of player he already has, not a striker

Ruben Amorim’s biggest Man United transfer priority is an upgraded version of player he already has, not a striker

Man United with one eye (or probably both!) on Thursday night lost to Brentford on the weekend but not before giving them a scare.

The 4-3 loss to Brentford would’ve been good enough for Ruben Amorim had Matthijs de Ligt’s injury not happened but still, there were positives to take.

Be it Tyler Fredricson being a ‘different class’, or Chido Obi showing glimpses of potential, Amorim will be pleased to see the youngsters are not that far away from first-team level.

Perhaps the biggest positive is that the game showed him his biggest transfer priority and it’s an upgraded version of the player he already has instead of a striker.

Man Utd’s transfer priority

United have already started moving in the transfer market and sealed one signing, while another is in the pipeline.

Enzo Kana-Biyik to Man Utd is “Here we go” but he’s more of a long-term gamble, while the signing of Matheus Cunha should soon be official.

The striker was widely accepted as the next on the agenda but the game against Brentford showed that it’s not as simple as that.

While it’s natural to think that a team not scoring enough goals simply needs a player who is clinical, Brentford showed United’s problem runs deeper.

Chido Obi huffed and puffed without reward, much like Rasmus Hojlund, until one player came on and showed the importance of a midfielder with the ability to play progressive passes from deep.

Christian Eriksen is not the player he once was and it looks even worse in a physically intense side against pressing opposition but his gifts on the ball are inarguable.

His presence immediately allowed United to get a foothold in the game and start playing through the Brentford press, and his passes from deep fashioned multiple chances for a starved forward line.

Buying a new striker is still important but someone like Victor Osimhen or Liam Delap will struggle the same way until the issue behind them is fixed. That starts with getting a ball-progressing midfielder.

Four players fix Man Utd next season

Amorim recognised the need for calmness and composure in the final third so Cunha’s transfer is set to be sealed.

Then he saw the team not scoring enough goals so a striker was targeted. Now, the Brentford game has shown that simply getting a new striker won’t fix the issue so a midfielder needs to be targeted.

That’s three players who, when plugged into the system, will make a remarkable difference to the team.

In addition, a pacy central defender who can defend in a high line and act as a stopper instead of a covering centre-back is the last piece of the puzzle, at least for now.

The goalkeeping situation is not ideal and may need addressing in the future but for now, four players who, coincidentally, form the spine of the team through the centre – centre-back, progressive defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, striker, will make the difference.

The wing-back issue was fixed to a certain extent with the long-term gamble on Patrick Dorgu, now it’s time to sort the center.