After Manchester United suffered yet another Premier League defeat, Rio Ferdinand has expressed his belief that Ruben Amorim will want to part with a huge chunk of his underperforming squad
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes Ruben Amorim wants to get rid of at least "50%" of the current Red Devils squad. Amorim, 40, watched his United side lose their 17th Premier League match of the campaign on Sunday as fellow strugglers West Ham United won 2-0 at Old Trafford.
While United have shined in Europe – having reached the final of the Europa League by overcoming Athletic Bilbao 7-1 on aggregate in the semis – their domestic form has been appalling. Amorim admitted he was "embarrassed" by the West Ham performance and result that left United in 16th position.
Ferdinand admitted it may require multiple transfer windows for Amorim to build the squad in his vision. He also believes the ex-Sporting CP head coach may clear out as much as 50% of the United camp to fund and make room for new recruits.
The ex-United defender said on his Rio Presents podcast: "I think he looks around the dressing room and thinks, 'If I could wave a magic wand, in the next five years at least 50% of this team wouldn't be here.'
"They're not good enough and they're not right for the way he wants to play. I look at him and think that he needs, minimum, two good windows of getting rid of the ones he doesn't require but also getting in players that he really needs.”
Ferdinand added: "There has to be a lot of things to go right for us to make a dramatic turn on this. He's coaching the team to understand what he wants, which has led to him getting terrible results in the Premier League consistently.
"He needs to recruit dynamic athletes. I don't want no mavericks, or players that are frilly and can do pirouettes. No, no, people that can run past and over people as well.”
Amorim has already hinted that there is a plan in place in regards to the upcoming summer transfer window. The Portuguese boss said: "I talk with the board, with everybody and even with the fans in every moments.
"I have a clear feeling that I know what this team needs to be so much better, and that has helped me to maintain that level of not go down so much and not so high in some moments.”
United's only hope for some sort of salvation lies in the Europa League, where they face 17th-placed Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao. Victory in the final next Wednesday would see the Red Devils qualify for a place in next season's Champions League.
However, that was at the back of Amorim's mind at Old Trafford when he addressed the media in his post-match press conference. He said: "How is a manager of Manchester United supposed to feel in that position? Embarrassed."
Amorim added: "Everybody is focused on the final. The final is not the biggest thing in our football club. We need to change a lot of things. If we don't change the way we play and perform and feel this urgency of winning every game, we should not play in the Champions League.
"We should just stay in the Premier League and learn how to be competitive one week at a time. The biggest focus on our football club is to change a lot of things. It's not just the final."