According to reports, Ruben Amorim issued a ‘sack’ ultimatum to INEOS before being dismissed, while Manchester United could make a January signing.
Amorim parted company with Man Utd on Monday morning, with his exit following his remarkable outburst against the club after Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Leeds United.
He said: “I just want to say that I’m going to be the manager of [Manchester United], not the just the coach, and I was really clear on that.
“That is going to finish in 18 months and then everyone is going to move on. That is 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.”
It has since emerged that Amorim made these comments after butting heads with the director of football, Jason Wilcox, over January signings on Friday.
READ: Premier League winners and losers: Amorim, Arsenal, Wolves, Leeds, Frank, West Ham
Amorim is said to have alleged that he was not being sufficiently backed heading into this transfer window, with the head coach expecting more signings after the club invested around £230m to acquire Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Senne Lammens in the summer.
These signings helped to improve Man Utd’s squad in the summer, but they are still sorely lacking in certain areas. This is particularly the case in midfield, but they also need further recruits in attack and defence.
Reliable journalist Ben Jacobs has provided information on Man Utd’s transfer plans to United Stand, with it noted that Amorim’s message to INEOS was that they should “back me or sack me” this month.
Man Utd chiefs opted for the latter option, but Jacobs also claimed that the Red Devils would ‘make a move for a player this month’, provided the potential signing is ‘someone who’s on their list for the summer’. Alternatively, it’ll be ‘someone like Yan Diomande, who could have significant interest, and they’ll need to move fast on them’.
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Diomande has been mooted as a potential alternative to Man City-bound Antoine Semenyo, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently revealing Man Utd’s stance on the RB Leipzig prospect.
Romano explained: “Leipzig don’t want to sell the player in January. Leipzig will do their best to keep the player in January. So eventually it could be a move for the summer, or in order to make it happen in January, they need to convince Leipzig. And it’s never easy with Red Bull Group.
“Many clubs are following him. Man Utd are following Diomande, are really interested in Diomande for the future. Tottenham are doing the same. PSG are also following Diomande. And I’m told that more Premier League clubs are also tracking the situation.
“Similar to Smit, it’s going to take a big amount of money. I don’t think €60m or €70m is going to be enough to convince Leipzig. The pricing is going to be higher. But for sure, Diomande and Smit, two names that are already now driving clubs crazy for the summer transfer window.”
