The seven players Ruben Amorim wanted at Manchester United but was refused

Ruben Amorim wanted seven players at Manchester United but was refused his requests, according to the Sun .

The Portuguese was sacked on Monday after 14 months in charge of the Red Devils, with his disagreements with some bigwigs at Man United ending his reign.

The Old Trafford club spent £256 million on new players under Amorim, but most of his preferred options were not signed.

He mostly recommended different targets to a shortlist drafted up by Man United director of football Jason Wilcox and director of recruitment Christopher Vivell.

He wanted Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez to replace Andre Onana but Senne Lammens was brought in instead due to his age and wages.

Benjamin Sesko was brought in last summer from RB Leipzig in a £74 million deal, but Amorim was keen to have Ollie Watkins due to his Premier League experience and quality.

He also wanted Paris Saint-Germain left wing-back Nuno Mendes before the Red Devils opted for Patrick Dorgu.

The 23-year-old Portuguese ended up impressing last term, winning the UEFA Champions League and getting named in the 2025 FIFA FIFPRO World 11.

The former Man United boss also wanted to reunite with some of his Sporting Lisbon players, with attacking duo Geovany Quenda and Salvador Blopa, centre-back Ousmane Diomande and defensive midfielder Morten Hjulmand all on his radar.

Chelsea ended up snapping up Quenda in March 2025 and he will join them in the summer of 2026.

Amorim did not have the final say on major transfers, which left him disappointed as he insisted in his final press conference that he was the manager and not just the head coach.

His refusal to change from a back-three also eventually proved costly, and his 38.10 win percentage did not do him any good.

Amorim was simply not good enough for Man United in the end, and the club have to get their next permanent managerial appointment right after several failures since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013.