Manchester United have now been told the price to sign an in-demand star in a move that could hand Ruben Amorim an excellent start to life at Old Trafford.
Manchester United set for more spending in 2025
Having spent significant sums in support of Erik ten Hag in recent seasons, Manchester United are now likely to have to do the same to back the next man in the dugout for the Premier League giants. That man will be Ruben Amorim, the club confirmed on Tuesday, with the exciting young manager signing a deal at Old Trafford until 2027 with the option of a further year.
He will take charge of the club on November 11th, with the international break offering him a natural break to get to grips with the squad. But his style of football at Sporting CP suggests that there will be significant change at Old Trafford, with the Portuguese manager almost exclusively using a back three during his time in Lisbon.
The current United squad looks poorly cut-out for the system, with both current left-backs on the treatment table after Luke Shaw suffered a setback in his recovery, while Tyrell Malacia hasn’t featured since the end of the 2022/23 campaign, something that has already seen United tipped with a move to sign a new fullback.
On the opposite flank, Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot are likely to compete for a spot at right wing-back, but Amorim may prefer to sign a more attacking option in the future, while his traditional 3-4-2-1 system raises questions about how Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford will be deployed behind either Joshua Zirkzee or Rasmus Hojlund at the top of the pitch.
Though money may be tight at Old Trafford after recent spending, they will almost certainly be forced to dip into the transfer market to sign players to fit Amorim’s system and capable of playing his style of football, with midfield likely to be another problem area given the age of both Christian Eriksen and Casemiro. Now, United may be able to secure a long-term solution to that issue.
United can sign "diamond" for just £30m
That comes as it has been reported that clubs will be able to sign talented teenage midfielder Chris Rigg for just £30m in 2025, with Manchester United believed to be among the sides vying for his signature.
Still just 17-years-old, Rigg has taken the Championship by storm, starting 11 of Sunderland’s 12 games to help them to the top of England’s second tier, and he scooped both the EFL Championship Goal of the Month and Young Player of the Month for September, underlining his rapid progress.
Former coach Steven Richardson has waxed lyrical over the teenage midfielder’s ability, dubbing him a “diamond” who will “give everything” for his side, something that United have been accused of failing to do under Ten Hag.
“To have a player like that – Sunderland have got an absolute diamond. He’s never not going to try. He’s always going to give everything until he can’t give anymore. He could probably play 100 to 180 minutes, I said before he’s like a Duracell bunny but he’s controlled with it as well. He’ll play his position and do his job. The other thing is, he knows exactly what everyone else should be doing as well.”
Rigg is a player Manchester United have known about for some time, with reports suggesting that they have been tracking him for two years, since he was 15, and are of the belief that he could follow the likes of Roy Keane and Bryan Robson in becoming a club legend in the Old Trafford engine room.
Chris Rigg in the Championship 24/25
Appearances
12
Goals
3
Assists
0
Yellow Cards
4
Now, Football Insider claim that “Sunderland have set a £20-30million price tag” on their talented midfielder, who is under contract with the Black Cats until 2027. United famously missed out on Jude Bellingham, a similarly priced Championship talent who has since gone on to finish third in the most recent Ballon d’Or rankings.
With reported interest in Rigg from both Chelsea and Real Madrid, £30m may well prove a bargain to land a man who could be the perfect partner for Kobbie Mainoo for years to come.