Ranking every Man Utd signing under Ruben Amorim from best to worst | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim was starting to kick up a fuss about Manchester United’s transfer activity shortly before getting sacked – but what was their business like during his ill-fated reign as head coach?

Man Utd announced on Monday that they have parted company with Amorim after 14 months in charge. It came in the wake of his comments that he was there “to be the manager, not to be the coach” – implying some frustrations at a lack of control over their transfers.

During Amorim’s spell on the Old Trafford touchline, transfers were largely overseen by Jason Wilcox and other members of the backroom team. Given United’s stuttering form, it’s safe to say there has been a mixed success rate with the players that have been brought in over that time.

We’ve ranked them from best to worst.

Bryan Mbeumo

In some ways, the signing of Mbeumo harked back to the days when United stood as the go-to destination for the players of proven Premier League quality.

The Cameroonian forward was on the back of a 20-goal season in the Premier League with Brentford, which made him an attractive target for various clubs. Turning 26 in August, Mbeumo knew his next move would define the prime of his career.

Despite their low finish in last season’s Premier League table, United won the race for Mbeumo – and he has been the pick of their summer signings so far.

Taking up a role as the right-sided no. 10 in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation, Mbeumo had seven goals from 17 appearances to his name before heading off for AFCON duties in December, unaware at the time that he’d already played his last game under the Portuguese coach.

Mbeumo won the Premier League Player of the Month award for his performances in October, a month in which he scored against Liverpool and twice against Brighton after also registering an assist against Sunderland.

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Senne Lammens

The goalkeeping department at United was ready for an upgrade over the summer after Andre Onana’s concerning form, and while Amorim would have been keen to take Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa, the club ultimately opted instead for Lammens.

Arriving from Royal Antwerp, Lammens was a newcomer to the Premier League and was initially phased in by Amorim, but has kept his place ever since.

So far, the 23-year-old has conceded 19 goals from 14 Premier League appearances for United.

Rio Ferdinand recently opined that Lammens could keep the starting berth at United for the next decade in a major nod of approval.

Ayden Heaven

The first signing of the Amorim era, Heaven arrived from Arsenal, where he had only made one first-team appearance in the EFL Cup.

The promising defender played six times for United before the season was out, including four times in the Premier League, and has cemented his right to compete for first-team minutes this season across a further 10 appearances.

“I think Ayden has a great future,” Amorim said during his final month in charge of United. “He’s really hard to beat. He adapts really well in the centre.”

That future will now be spent working under a different regime, but United will be glad to have got the 19-year-old’s services for the long term.

Matheus Cunha

After taking the no. 10 shirt, it was a fairly slow start for Cunha after his move from Wolves, but the Brazilian has been beginning to have more of a say over the past few weeks.

He scored the last goal of the Amorim era against Leeds, after also scoring against Bournemouth and Aston Villa the previous month.

At the same age as Mbeumo, Cunha might have been expected to have more of an immediate impact but should be versatile enough to keep his place under a new boss.

Benjamin Sesko

The jury is out on whether United got it right when searching for a new striker over the summer, ultimately opting for Sesko from RB Leipzig.

He had generated plenty of interest elsewhere in the Premier League, but United won the race for the big Slovenian in their most expensive bit of business over the Amorim era.

Sesko has only scored twice for United so far, though, and those goals came in back-to-back games against Brentford and Sunderland in late September/early October.

Patrick Dorgu

Although Heaven was the first signing of the Amorim era, Dorgu was the first he gave a debut to.

As a left-wing back, Dorgu appeared to be the ideal kind of signing for Amorim’s system, but the step up from Lecce to United has proven to be a big one.

Doubts have started to set in about Dorgu’s long-term future, which could be exacerbated if a new manager prefers a different system to Amorim’s.

Still only 21, the Denmark international has a long career ahead of him, but just one goal and three assists from 40 United appearances so far is a record that raises questions.

Diego Leon

Leon is yet to make his debut for United having arrived in the summer after turning 18 in April. Amorim only put the young left-back on the bench for three Premier League games before his departure.

His place at the bottom of this ranking doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a bad player, just that there’s no evidence so far of what his United career will be like.