Man United ready to rival Liverpool to solve key Ruben Amorim dilemma

Ruben Amorim will be given a transfer budget to spend in the January transfer window as part of his Manchester United squad rebuild.

The 39-year-old has already confirmed he will not raid former club Sporting CP at the start of 2025 but left the door open for potential transfer moves in the summer.

Amorim is unlikely to make drastic changes in the mid-season market but there are growing concerns over how adaptable some current United players are to his methods.

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As part of updates at Old Trafford, Amorim is likely to slowly implement his preferred 3-4-3 formation, which worked to great effect in Lisbon.

The key aspect of that relies on wing-backs with the stamina and tactical nous to bomb forward and defend in equal measure.

United’s options in both full-back positions have been impacted by injury issues since the start of the campaign with first-choice left-back Luke Shaw rumoured to be a potential casualty of the Amorim’s regime.

Summer signing Noussair Mazraoui is expected to be given a chance to prove himself, alongside the versatile Diogo Dalor, but Shaw and Tyrell Malacia could be under threat.

As per reports from the Daily Mirror, one name who could fit Amorim’s brief of a lung-busting creative force at left-back/wing-back is Bournemouth star Milos Kerkez.

The Hungarian international is also on Liverpool’s radar, as they plan for life after Andy Robertson, and the 21-year-old has developed into a key player for the Cherries after a strong first 12 months in the Premier League.

Kerkez’s contract runs until 2029 at the Vitalty Stadium – with Bournemouth under no pressure to sell – and United could be quoted in the region of £30m ($38m) for a player who may be the first piece of Amorim’s Old Trafford jigsaw puzzle.