Which striker Amorim wanted last summer revealed as Man Utd sack chances soar

Ruben Amorim’s future at Manchester United is now in ‘major doubt’ and one of the contributing factors is the club’s failure to sign one particular striker he craved.

Man Utd spent heavily on new forwards over the summer, with the most expensive deal coming at the tip of the attack. The Red Devils forked out £74m (€85m, $99m) with add-ons included, when landing Benjamin Sesko and after half a season in England, it’s fair to say the Slovenian has struggled.

Sesko drew another blank at the weekend to move his tally to two goals and one assist from 17 appearances so far.

But had Amorim got his way, a striker with pedigree in the Premier League would have been signed instead and in all likelihood, an instant impact would have been made.

Taking to X when assessing Amorim’s increasingly perilous situation at Old Trafford, reporter Ben Jacobs noted Amorim “wanted Ollie Watkins over the summer.”

The Aston Villa frontman was aged 29 at that time and in terms of age profile, did not meet INEOS’ criteria.

A move for Watkins was explored, though United’s decision-makers, including Jason Wilcox, ultimately chose the Sesko route.

Watkins isn’t exactly firing on all cylinders this term with seven goals in 20 league games. However, his impact at Villa Park runs much deeper that just end product, with his expert hold-up play and connection with Morgan Rogers helping to fire Villa into the title race.

It’s been well documented over the past few days how frustrated Amorim is with Man Utd’s transfer dealings.

talkSPORT reported Amorim does not believe United are buying enough specialised players to give him a real shot at making his favoured 3-4-2-1 formation a success.

Furthermore, Amorim hoped the money Man Utd had set aside for Antoine Semenyo – who is now heading to Manchester City – would be channelled towards a different deal this month. As it stands, Man Utd are not in active discussions to sign any players this window.

A visibly angry Amorim blasted Man Utd’s chiefs in the aftermath of the club’s 1-1 draw with Leeds on Sunday.

“I notice that you receive selective information about everything,” he began.

“I came here to be the manager of Manchester United , not to be the coach of Manchester United . That is clear.

“I know that my name is not [Thomas] Tuchel, it’s not [Antonio] Conte, it’s not [Jose] Mourinho, but I’m the manager of Manchester United and it’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decides to change.

“That was my point. I want to finish with that. I’m not going to quit. I will do my job until another guy is coming here to replace me.”

When asked if he felt let down by the board over a lack of transfer activity, Amorim continued: “I just want to say I’m going to be the manager of this team, not just the coach. I was really clear on that.

“That is going to finish in 18 months and then everyone is going to move on. That was the deal. That is my job, not to be a coach.

“If people cannot handle the Gary Nevilles and the criticisms of everything, we need to change the club.

“I just want to say that I came here to be the manager of Manchester United , not to be the coach.

“Every department – the scouting department, the sport director – needs to do their job. I will do mine for 18 months, and then we move on.”

Since then, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano confirmed tensions behind the scenes are mounting.

He said on YouTube : “What I can tell you is that the situation is really tense, there is really some tension behind the scenes with Ruben Amorim and the management (the board).

“He is not happy. He is not happy with the process of the club in terms of bringing in new signings. Then it’s not easy for the club to find replacements for players like Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo.

“Then he said that he signed for Man Utd as a manager, not as a coach. He wants to decide. He wants to make an impact, which is about his message to the club. He wants to play 3-4-2-1/3-4-3 in terms of tactics.

“At the moment, United are not following that model in terms of new signings. Now, they (INEOS) are discussing internally to see how they handle this situation.”

TEAMtalk were informed Amorim’s post-match comments went down like a lead balloon with United’s hierarchy, most of whom will have a say on whether he’s sacked.

And per the latest from talkSPORT , Amorim’s future at Man Utd is now in ‘major doubt.’

His relationship with director of football Wilcox was termed ‘fractured’ and crucially, it was claimed Man Utd’s CEO, Omar Berrada, ‘is expected to back the latter (Wilcox).’

Amorim’s days at Old Trafford now look numbered.

In other news, Manchester United fans showed no mercy when savaging an expensive underperformer who isn’t helping Ruben Amorim’s sour mood right now.

Elsewhere, multiple reports have confirmed a Manchester United attacker will leave the club this month after personal terms were agreed, and United are .