"I said the storm is coming," Ruben Amorim reminded Manchester United supporters inside Old Trafford after their miserable 2024-25 campaign had finally come to an end. "Today, after this disaster season, I want to tell you the good days are coming."
United fans had every right to boo the manager for overseeing their worst campaign in 51 years, but instead his speech was greeted with a guttural roar. Now, though, the Portuguese and the club's executives need to get to work in the transfer window to make sure Amorim delivers on that promise.
The Red Devils are in a hole of their own making given that they hired Amorim in the middle of the season while well aware of the type of football he wanted to play. United's squad was totally unsuited to the coach's vision and lacked players with the athletic capacity to cope with his physically intense style. Now, though, have a summer for Amorim to remould the squad in his image.
However, he likely won't be able to pull off the rebuild he would like due to the club's financial problems and the danger of breaking the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules, especially after United lost the Europa League final to Tottenham and missed out on the golden ticket of Champions League qualification and the cash bonanza that would have accompanied it.
United have a reported budget of £100 million ($134m) for their transfer activities and they have already secured the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves for £62.5m ($84m), although that will be paid for in three separate installments. The club can increase their budget, of course, by selling players, while some space in the wage bill has already been freed up by the departures of Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans after their contracts expired.
With all that taken into consideration, GOAL has outlined the key areas United must address in the summer transfer window to ensure another storm does not gather over Old Trafford next season: