Gary Neville names six transfers Ruben Amorim must make in major Man United overhaul
Ruben Amorim has been told that he will need to sign six players in the summer transfer window if he is to have any chance of success with Manchester United
Gary Neville has said that Manchester United needs to sign "six players minimum" in the coming summer transfer window if they yearn for success under new boss Ruben Amorim.
The former defender, who dedicated his entire playing career to the Red Devils, is known for his forthright commentary since becoming a pundit. Neville, a figure synonymous with Old Trafford's legacy, believes that passing judgment on Amorim's managerial prowess would be premature, especially given United's current precarious position in the Premier League standings.
And Neville is aware that Amorim, who took over from Erik ten Hag last November, has had to grapple with a squad not tailored to his football philosophy. Speaking with The Athletic, Neville said: "What they need to do now is to create some stability.
"There has been a lot of instability off the pitch in respect of the non-playing staff and there has been a lot of instability on the pitch with the changes of manager and changes to the squad. That has got to stop at some point and they've got to embed in Ruben's team, let them develop.
"I think this time next year we'll know a lot more, when we see whether Ruben can build a successful team. Christmas next year we'll know a lot more, because I think Ruben needs to get that second transfer window.
"He needs a proper pre-season with the team to embed this system and this style of play. We'll know a lot more in October, November, December when I'm sure they'll be winning more matches than they are now," reports the Mirror.
In terms of bringing in players, Neville added: "It needs a big overhaul in the summer. Five or six players minimum to be able to change the direction of how he wants to play.
"There's at least two forwards, a central midfield player, definitely two wing backs and another centre-back. They need six players minimum.
"Ruben has been very good at identifying the players he wants out of the club; that's really clear to everybody. The club's job now is to get them out and get replacements in that he likes and wants in his team."
It's been a sad state of affairs for Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure from the club in 2013, with a whole host of top-class managers trying to step up and bring glory back to the red half of the city in the years since. However, if there's any chance of Amorim faring better than the five others that have came before him, it is clear that investment is needed.
The United board might find it challenging to budget an extravagant spree for Amorim this summer though, with minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe telling The Times earlier this year: "This summer we will 'buy' Antony, Sancho, Casemiro, [Lisandro] Martínez, [Rasmus] Hojlund and [André] Onana and they're all about 17 million quid each. Because that's what is outstanding.
"If we buy nobody else we're buying those players. But it will be a very profitable club. We believe that in three years' time it will be the most profitable football club in the world.
"And it will be in a very, very different place. But we need to go through the change." Only modest acquisitions were possible during the January transfer window, with Ayden Heaven arriving for just over £1m and Patrick Dorgu coming in for £25m, meaning player sales could be necessary for the board to have flexibility for new signings in the coming months.