Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has warned over potential transfer pitfalls as the club is linked with a swoop for several Sporting stars under the guidance of potential new boss Ruben Amorim.
After Erik ten Hag’s exit, United are reportedly close to clinching a deal with 39-year-old Amorim, while Ruud van Nistelrooy holds the fort as interim manager.
With a fresh gaffer at the helm, there’s rumours about him bringing in his own signings, and Sporting’s top talent is already on the rumour mill. But Scholes has dropped a bombshell warning, suggesting that raiding the Primeira Liga champs could backfire, especially considering Ten Hag’s history with ex-players.
“United could be scarred from Erik ten Hag, when you think of all the players he bought from Ajax,” Scholes said during The Overlap Fan Debate, powered by Sky Bet. “If Amorim comes from Sporting, and suddenly wants three or four of their players and they’re not good enough – that will be a concern.”
He also pointed out that some players who flopped in England have revived their careers at Sporting, like Tottenham’s young gun Marcus Edwards and Liverpool’s former defender Sebastián Coates.
Scholes warned of lingering doubts at United, pondering the limits of what Amorim might be allowed to do, hinting that this could be where Dan Ashworth steps in to steer the ship, reports the Mirror.
Upon his arrival at Manchester United in 2022, Ten Hag persuaded the club to splash out on Ajax pair Antony and Lisandro Martinez. He later brought in Andre Onana, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, all of whom he had previously managed at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Despite injury issues, Martinez has proven a hit, but the other four have largely failed to meet expectations – particularly Antony, who was snapped up for a staggering £82million.
(Image: Getty Images)
A number of Sporting stars have been on United’s radar for a while, including Goncalo Inacio, Ousmane Diomande, Morten Hjulmand, Marcus Edwards, Pedro Goncalves and Viktor Gyokeres, and reports suggest that Amorim is keen to bring Inacio, Edwards and Goncalves with him to Manchester.
However, it’s believed United bosses have made it clear during discussions that they want Amorim to extract the best from the existing squad – including Ten Hag’s underperforming signings – before they approve another spending spree.
The Red Devils forked out over £170m on fresh talent over the summer in an attempt to climb back up the table following their record-low eighth-place finish in the 2023/24 Premier League season.