Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Ruben Amorim, Marcus Rashford, and Dan Ashworth have provided contentious daily Manchester United talking points for some time.
This Red media machine never sleeps, and revelations regarding Ineos and their footballing ideals paint an interesting picture for the future of the Premier League side.
From staff redundancies to European ticket collections and price hikes, Ratcliffe’s authoritarian regimen has sent shockwaves across the club and supporter base.
The fundamental message coming out of Old Trafford is a necessity to view the larger picture to restore financial sustainability while returning the club to a competitive standing.
Recent disclosures regarding the future of Rashford, coupled with the mutual departure of Ashworth, have concerned many about the direction Ineos are steering their club and what the future has in store for the 20-time English champions.
The previously unconsidered role of Ruben Amorim in the Manchester United rebuild
Sources close to the Theatre of Red have confirmed that Manchester United’s backroom hierarchy opted to forgo their predetermined venture into an established playing style, regardless of head coach, because of the vision supplied by Amorim.
Adopting a specific ideal belonging to one individual was never truly factored into the equation. Ultimately, this could potentially jeopardise squad members “conceived to be irreplaceable”.
However, having learned of the possibility of acquiring the Sporting chief mid-season, a vote was taken between ranking board members, with a decision to alter the direction of the collective concept.
Within this collaboration, Dan Ashworth felt betrayed. Friction quickly surfaced, and relationships were damaged beyond repair.
From here, an onus to establish a specific squad requirement relied heavily on maintaining a structured approach to accommodate the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.
A fundamental KPI exists to establish the suitability of high-earning first-team members.
Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford, Mason Mount, Antony and Matthijs de Ligt each earn more than £10 million gross per annum, with much dissatisfaction regarding the disparity between salary and individual contributions on the field.
Amorim believes in Fernandes, Mount, De Ligt and Antony. The latter has received notably increased playing time to determine if he can contribute in a new-look role.
Despite public perceptions, the Portuguese is said to be an admirer of the winger and values his work rate and tenacity to contribute at either end of the transition. But his future is far from decided.
In Mount, he sees a crucial figure in the dressing room and the training field, with the 25-year-old viewed as an ideal weapon in his attacking system. A lack of availability is a concern, though.
As has been widely reported, Rashford has failed to impress on and off the field, and his significant salary versus application is deemed unacceptable when considering the widespread cost-cutting measures at the club.
The enigma of longevity with Sir Alex Ferguson is believed to be beyond replication.
However, given the age and aspirations of Amorim, Ratcliffe feels that the tactician can come close to harnessing the standards of old while remaining at the helm for the foreseeable future.
I’m told he has bought into the romanticism alongside the passion and qualities of his head coach. This was not foreseen when constructing the initial Ineos vision.
Much of this circulates Ratcliffe’s belief that previous managers were not granted the required support.
In adopting this Portuguese mindset and harnessing the recent history of sustained domestic success, the Old Trafford side has shifted to a three-at-the-back mentality and set a specific transfer market philosophy in motion for foreseeable windows.
We have already seen this with the pursuit of 17-year-old Diego Leon. Further advancements have been made in conversations with Alphonso Davies’ entourage, while Jeremie Frimpong remains a primary target.
Contractual conversations have already taken place with Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo, while Rasmus Hojlund is highly thought of in the Portuguese camp.
What is evident is that Ineos has put all of their eggs in Ruben Amorim’s basket and remains confident in building their framework around his footballing ideals.
Memorable derby-winning moments and impressive displays – regardless of opposition form – will enhance this belief.
Let us know your thoughts about Ineos, Ratcliffe, Ashworth and more in the comments or across our social channels.
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