The transfer problems that may turn United's 'Mission 21' into mission impossible

Within a few minutes, Ruben Amorim had addressed each of the seemingly incompatible, irreconcilable realities of life at Manchester United in 2025.

- RICHARD JOLLY

He cited 'Mission 21', the aim of winning the club's 21st league title. "We talk about that; I sense from day one the focus is to win the Premier League,” said a manager who took a club which had waited a long time for a similar success in his homeland and twice made them champions of Portugal but who, come this evening, could be in charge of the side 16th in the English Premier League.

Time will tell if there is any substance behind the latest of United’s ambitious slogans. Amorim’s task in securing the league title that none of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick or Erik ten Hag came close to capturing is rendered tougher by the financial position. It is one Amorim inherited, even if he has compounded it with wretched results that mean there is a risk United will have no income from European football next season. But, with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe cutting costs, considering a fresh round of redundancies and with PSR regulations extended for another year – scarcely favouring United, who are weighed down by past spending – Amorim is dealing with the era of austerity at Old Trafford.