Amorim Expects January Departures “They Will Ask to Leave”

Ruben Amorim has rarely lacked clarity and his latest assessment of Man United ahead of January reinforces that trademark directness. The head coach has warned that some players could seek exits once the January window opens, driven by a desire for minutes before next summer’s World Cup. On a squad fighting to rebuild its identity, internal competition sits centre stage, yet patience is clearly thinning for those on the fringes.

“A lot of things can happen,” Amorim said when asked about January. “Even in our club, and you know that we have the World Cup, some players are not playing, they will ask to leave, so I have to manage everything.” It is an honest admission that squad harmony often bends to individual ambition in tournament seasons.

The names were not mentioned but they hardly need illumination. Kobbie Mainoo asked to leave in the summer and has still not started a Premier League match, a fact that risks pushing him out of Thomas Tuchel’s England thinking. Joshua Zirkzee , meanwhile, has been limited to four league appearances from the bench. Both represent the paradox of a squad trimmed for efficiency, yet lacking enough competitions to distribute minutes. No European football and a swift exit to Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup have squeezed openings to almost nothing.

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With pressure to evolve and compete at the top of English football again, January presents an interesting crossroads. Director of football Jason Wilcox has already acknowledged they must continue to back Amorim. Midfield had been tipped as a likely area to strengthen but, at least publicly, the manager is keeping details closed.

“We want to bring players, everyone here, we want to bring players that we can see a big future for in Manchester United ,” he said. “We are not just buying one guy, because now we feel in December that we need this kind of player for now. We want to buy players that we know we are not going to change a lot of times. That is our idea.”

“So I don’t know what is going to happen, but of course we think about how we can improve the team, and in January the window is open, we can do something.”

As Man United chase a fourth straight league win away at Nottingham Forest, Amorim reflects on a turbulent first year. His commitment to a bold 3-4-3 approach never wavered, even when results stung.

“It’s hard to say that, sometimes there were some moments that were tough to deal with, to lose so many games, that was so hard for me,” he said. “Because this is Manchester United , the position that we had in the last year, putting all the attention on the Europa League and not winning, that was massive.

“I had some moments that I struggled a lot, and I was thinking that maybe it’s not meant to be. Today is the opposite. Today I feel that, and I know that, it was the best decision in my life and I want to be here.”

His philosophical edge was evident again when asked about vindication after beating Liverpool 2-1. “Again, we had some luck against Liverpool [when United won 2-1] and all the narrative changed because of that,” he said. It is a reminder that football’s tides shift fast. January may yet bring another turn in this story.