Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has confirmed that the club are gearing up for the January transfer window, with room for new additions to the squad. However, Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, 25, who was a key target for the Red Devils, is expected to sign for their arch-rivals Manchester City instead. City are set to trigger Semenyo’s £65million release clause, leaving United and other Premier League heavyweights such as Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham in the dust.
Despite this setback, United are planning for an active month, but Amorim insists he won’t be signing players just for the sake of it. Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of their Boxing Day clash with Newcastle, the United boss said: “We have space to have more players, but it is a very important thing in our club that we have a plan and we need to bring players that we know. It’s hard to know for sure that everything is going to work, but we need to be certain of the players that we bring [in]. If we are not sure, it’s better not to bring anyone and to work with the players that we have. That is clear for me.”
Amorim further stated: “Maybe I should be different like so many managers, but that is my thinking and I think it’s the thinking of the board that we cannot do the same mistakes that we did in the past and we need to survive these moments because we have players coming from international [teams] and from Europe.”
Amorim has a knack for quickly assessing whether a player is a good fit for his team, stating: “I think I have a good feeling on that. That’s why we will not bring in a player that has that feeling face-to-face.
“They can mislead me a little bit, but it’s going to be hard, so I have the feeling and most of the time, I get it right. I just look at the guy, maybe it’s the way they speak and I think I can detect the rubbish. I don’t know.”
In terms of departures, Andre Onana could be set to make his loan move to Turkish outfit Trabzonspor permanent in January. The goalkeeper, who joined the Turkish side on loan in September, has expressed his desire to extend his stay beyond this season, saying: “I’m very happy, trust me. I’m living the best period of my life.
“I can’t complain, I’m very happy to be here. Sometimes I’m driving and a car cuts in front of me. ‘Onana, stop, I want a photo.’ I think to myself, ‘Yes, but we can do this in another way.’ But when they see me, they’re happy, and so am I. It was difficult at first, but now I understand.
“They are my men, I love them, and I love this feeling. Because they are very passionate. It’s a wonderful thing. It’s something you can’t describe if you’re not here. But the time I’ve spent here has been perfect for me. I’m happy to be here. It’s a different lifestyle, but it’s great. Truly incredible, amazing.”