Ruben Amorim has got one thing WRONG about Man Utd’s transfer plans – here’s how to fix it

Robin Bairner

• 26 Dec 2025 04:34 CST
• 4 min read

Analysis

Ruben Amorim’s slow but steady improvement at Manchester United is facing a major threat as the January transfer window approaches.

A combination of a packed festive fixture schedule, international duty and injury problems has left his options at Old Trafford bare as the mid-season signing window looms.

Despite the issues, the Portuguese refuses to panic.

“What we cannot do is reach January and try to do everything in urgency and make mistakes,” Amorim told Sky Sports.

“Then it is here we go again with mistakes. If we have to suffer, the club comes first.

“Of course, we need points. You can feel at this moment we are going to suffer.”

He is both right and wrong. United cannot repeat their transfer mistakes of old by frittering away big money on the wrong players, but equally, there should be no need for a club with the financial might and unrivalled draw as the Red Devils to “suffer” for another six months.

Man Utd finally getting things right in the transfer market

United have, after all, largely been getting things right in the transfer market in recent times.

While the jury may still be out on Benjamin Sesko, both Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have been transfer hits, silencing scepticism over their cost, justifying the club’s decision to pay a premium for Premier League-proven talent and showing that they can identify value when they target clear profiles.

But one new arrival does need help. Senne Lammens has been left abandoned in goal – and not because his individual performance has been poor. The very opposite. He needs a light shone on just how well he is performing.

Look at the wrong numbers, and it seems that the 23-year-old Belgian is struggling. His save percentage of 61.9% ranks 18th of the 20 Premier League goalkeepers who have started more than six games. He has made 25 stops and has conceded 17 goals, keeping just a single clean sheet in the process.

What this does not tell you, however, is the quality of saves he has made. When the numbers are adjusted for the quality of shots Lammens has faced, he ranks 11th in the Premier League, even making a positive contribution to his side by stopping more shots than expected.

The goalkeeper has not been the problem; the issue has been that United’s defence has simply been giving up too many huge opportunities to their opponents.

January matters more than Amorim admits

When Amorim talks of United “suffering”, the young goalkeeper is doing more so than most. Despite a demonstrably strong performance from their new No.1, United had the poorest defensive record out of any side above 15th on Christmas Day.

The solution to such a problem lies in the transfer market. United’s midfield has been overly reliant on the aging Casemiro in a defensive capacity, while their defence has not functioned as they might have wished.

Having been crying out for players in the spine of the team in a defensive capacity in the summer, the problem has been arguably even more acute since.

United absolutely cannot blunder into the market blindly in January, but recent evidence suggests these days are behind them. Their profile-based recruitment drive is working, and it’s clear that there must be a solution out there for Amorim to improve his options. He deserves it, and so too does Lammens.