Man United ignored Ruben Amorim request and we're starting to see why

CommentsSportopinionTyrone Marshall Senior Manchester Football Writer12:42, 11 Mar 2026Updated 12:43, 11 Mar 2026Had Ruben Amorim got his way, Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins could have been lining up for Manchester United against their former club this weekend. As it is, they will be part of the Aston Villa side trying to cling on to a spot in next season's Champions League.

Amorim wanted experience and players who were ready to deliver here and now when he gave his input into United's transfer plans for the summer. In Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, he got two Premier League-proven players ready to hit the ground running at Old Trafford.

But with a goalkeeper and a striker also on the agenda, he wanted his club to raid Villa Park for Martinez, who turned 33 in September, and Watkins, who turned 30 just before the turn of the year.

Had he got his way, maybe he would still be in a job, although that seems unlikely. This doesn't feel like a sliding doors moment that changes the course of history, because United still signed players who have proved effective in their position.

It cost just over £90million to sign Senne Lammens, 23, and Benjamin Sesko, 22. It would have required a similar fee to sign Martinez and Watkins. The difference is that United could get a decade or more out of Lammens and Sesko. They would have got a couple of years out of Villa's two experienced options.

And it's hard to make a case that United would be better off this season with Martinez in goal and Watkins in attack. Lammens has enjoyed a good first season at Old Trafford and looks capable of holding down that position for years to come.

At the other end of the pitch, Sesko has eight goals in 24 Premier League games, averaging a goal every 162.5 minutes. Watkins has eight goals in 28 games, but they are coming at a rate of one every 270 minutes.

Sesko is eight years younger and is already more prolific. It's almost impossible to make the case for signing Watkins ahead of the Slovenian last summer.

Not so long ago, Amorim would have got what he wanted last summer, because that is how United did things. The manager ran the show and dictated transfer targets, so when he failed, the strategy would change again with his replacement.

Gradually, United are catching on to modern methods. They appointed a football-focused chief executive, Omar Berrada, and a director of football, Jason Wilcox, and an esteemed director of recruitment, Christopher Vivell.

The latter's background is at the Red Bull group of clubs, where the focus was often on youth. That is something all elite clubs are looking to pivot towards, and under Ineos, United have adopted the same strategy.

Vivell certainly seems to have improved United's recruitment. The summer of 2025 looks like it will be their best in a long time, and not only have the players who have been signed made an impact, but they also have room to grow and improve. That is the balance clubs like United have to strike.

It's why there is confidence that United now have their recruitment operation in a good place. There has been pain along the way, with a series of redundancies in the scouting department and an attempt to beef up their data operations, but Vivell has won admirers and the proof has been in the pudding this season.

The decision to back the recruitment team over Lammens and Sesko, rather than going with a head coach who wanted experience, is vindication for their approach. That long-term outlook is why whatever happens this weekend is only a small part of the story, but if Lammens and Sesko can help push United closer to the Champions League, it will be another good day for the club's transfer strategy.