Already thinking about potential upgrades, Ruben Amorim has reportedly set his sights on signing an upgrade on Antony worth as much as £90m for Manchester United in 2025.
Man Utd transfer news
Amorim’s first job will be to make up for any damage done by the end of Erik ten Hag’s tenure. The Red Devils looked down and out under the Dutchman in what has become an all too familiar sight over the last decade. The sacked manager became the latest of several failures on a list that includes Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal to leave Manchester United back at square one.
Man Utd now keeping tabs on "crazy" £337,000-a-week Champions League winner
This would be the deal of the summer…
ByTom Cunningham
Now, INEOS – with their first managerial hire – will be desperately hoping to see Amorim end that trend to take United back to the top of English football for the first time since the Sir Alex Ferguson days.
However, before the Sporting CP manager arrives on 11th November, former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has been tasked with taking interim charge and will look to make it two wins from two against Chelsea this afternoon after overseeing a scintillating 5-2 thrashing of Leicester City in the Carabao Cup.
Meanwhile, as soon as 39-year-old Amorim arrives, changes could be afoot. According to CaughtOffside, Amorim has already set his sights on signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for Manchester United in a deal that would need to be worth as much as £90m to match Napoli’s reported valuation.
The winger has been back to his best under Antonio Conte and could yet reap the rewards as a result. The man that Amorim seemingly wants to replace Antony, there’s no doubt that Kvaratskhelia would quickly offer Manchester United a much-needed injection of attacking impetus in place of the struggling Brazilian.
Showing the door to a player who epitomised Ten Hag’s failures would also be quite the way to commence the Amorim era at Old Trafford.
"Cheeky" Kvaratskhelia would end Antony nightmare
Signing Kvaratskhelia for a reported £90m would represent how Manchester United should have spent such money instead of welcoming Antony from Ajax in 2023.
The winger has never quite made the impact that his hefty price tag suggested he ought to, and looks destined to join a worryingly long list of transfer flops at Old Trafford. However, it could be argued that Kvaratskhelia is showing all the signs that he would not join that list.
Minutes
691
28
629
Goals
5
0
1
Assists
2
0
1
Take-ons completed
12
0
6
A class above not just Antony but even perhaps Marcus Rashford, Kvaratskhelia should be high on Manchester United’s list of candidates to begin the Amorim era in true style next summer. Still just 23 years old, the Georgia international is just getting started.
The Napoli star previously earned the praise of Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp after he handed Trent Alexander-Arnold one of his toughest tests. The German dubbed Kvaratskhelia a “cheeky” player after a difficult battle for Manchester United’s Premier League rivals a couple of seasons ago.