MANCHESTER UNITED may need to hold an end of season fire sale to give new boss Ruben Amorim January transfer wriggle room.
The Portuguese will step into the Old Trafford firing line on Monday after finally severing his links with Sporting Lisbon at the weekend.
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Ruben Amorim could look to make signings in JanuaryCredit: Getty
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Striker Viktor Gyokeres could follow from SportingCredit: AFP
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Man Utd may need to sell to meet PSR requirementsCredit: Getty
Amorim will be inheriting a squad that appears way short of what is required for United to challenge at the top of the Prem.
The new manager is expected to play his preferred back three system with his wing-backs required to work up and down the pitch.
But while the United leadership will be keen to give the new manager the tools he needs to make an early impact – the club’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules position is likely to require departures before the end of the financial year on June 30.
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This is due to be the last year of the Prem’s current PSR regulations, with clubs moving to a Uefa-style “squad cost ratio” system for next term.
But the breach penalties handed out to Everton and Nottingham Forest last season mean all clubs including United will know they risk points deductions for next term if they exceed the “permitted loss” limit of £105m over three seasons to the end of this campaign.
United’s summer transfers under now-axed Erik ten Hag saw the arrivals of Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee for a combined £172m.
For PSR calculations, those arrivals are “amortised” over their contract lengths, meaning a seasonal cost of £37.1m.
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That outlay came with a huge influx of transfer income, as United sold players including Scott McTominay, Mason Greenwood and Aaron Wan-Bissaka for a total of £86m, more than making up for the money spent.
Three Sporting stars Amorim could swoop for after joining Man Utd
RUBEN AMORIM has ruled out poaching any of his Sporting Lisbon players in the January transfer window.
But the Portuguese side’s chiefs expect Amorim will come calling in the summer – with his cheque book wide open.
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Here’s are three Sporting starts United could swoop for… but they won’t come cheap:
VIKTOR GYOKERES
Age: 26
Position: Striker
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Cost: £84million
Swede has shone since joining Sporting last summer from Coventry — catching the eye of all Europe’s top clubs.
Hit 43 goals in 50 games last season and boasts 18 strikes already this term.
GONCALO INACIO
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Age: 23
Position: Defender
Cost: £50million
Ball-playing centre-back was handed his debut by Amorim and has since become a key figure in Sporting’s recent title successes.
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Can also slot in at left-back if required and has 12 caps for Portugal.
MORTEN HJULMAND
Age: 25
Position: Midfield
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Cost: £40million
Dane is one of the top holding midfielders in Portugal — and made skipper by Amorim.
He could be the man to replace Casemiro.
But United’s amortisation bill for this season does not just include the summer 2024 spending.
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The club has to include the money spent over the last SIX years, with accumulated costs of £44m for last term, just under £45m for the previous campaign, Jadon Sancho’s 2021 arrival costing them £17m even though he will spend the season at Chelsea.
Dimitar Berbatov tips Viktor Gyokeres to follow Ruben Amorim to Man Utd
United’s amortisation spending even includes £42m for the arrivals of Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes in the 2019-20 season – when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge.
That adds up to £168m in PSR transfer costs for this season.
United’s wage bill last term was £364m, with the club announcing losses of £69m, added to the losses of £11m in 2023 and £87m the previous years.
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That does not mean losses of that size in their PSR accounts, as the £105m limit is reached with significant discounts for spending on infrastructure, the youth and women’s teams and community projects, with United also benefitting last term from the final Covid adjustment.
But new club chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already noted that United were close to the PSR limit last season.
And with the club in the Europa League rather than the Champions League this season, it will mean a reduction of up to £50m in TV revenues – although it will also see wage bonuses reduced.
The rules do not prevent clubs from spending in January – but they do have to balance their books by the end of the financial year.
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Selling the likes of Antony or Casemiro is not as easy a get-out as it might appear either.
They would have to receive a fee of £30m for Casemiro to get to zero in accounting terms, with Antony’s five-year deal meaning £49.2m would be taken off any agreed fee received.
Alternatively the Red Devils could sell an academy graduate like Marcus Rashford as his transfer fee would count as pure profit, since he did not cost United a penny.
But if Amorim is going to be allowed to bring players in – there are no limits in the Prem but clubs can only change a maximum of three players in their Uefa squads for the knock-out stage – it appears likely that exits will have to come before the end of June.
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The end of last term saw the likes of Newcastle, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Everton engage in a series of deals that saw them get under the PSR limits.
United might have previously been above those sort of financial requirements.
But they may not be this term – especially if Amorim demands some significant action in the winter window.
Speaking in a Monday media availability, Gordon said: “One thing that we do all year long … this is something that you build on year after year as an organization with your teammates and your OEM in Chevy, it’s having these conversations: How do we work together, how do we not work against against one another, how do we share information, and what do we do about being aware of one another on the race track — no matter what race it is all year long but especially when you get into the playoffs.
#24: William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro, #3: Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro
Photo by: John K Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images
“That’s your job as a driver and as a team and a crew chief — it’s to be aware of what’s on the line. Who is in the championship hunt, who (has) got a shot to transfer through if they win, who is tight on points and so I think that’s what you saw really play out yesterday.”
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Radio communication indicated that there might have been some sort of organization from manufacturer allies, or at the very least an intense focus on what was happening with the No. 24. Byron could not afford to lose a single spot, and the No. 3 of Austin Dillon rode behind him for the final leg of the race. When the No. 1 Chevrolet of Ross Chastain arrived, chatter on the Dillon radio wanted to make sure that Chastain’s team knew what was on the line. Neither driver ever passed Byron, forming a rolling blockade of sorts that stopped anyone else from getting close to the HMS driver.
Ultimately, Gordon saw nothing wrong with how things transpired from within the Chevrolet camp in the closing laps. He only saw drivers “racing as hard as they could, but also racing to advance and racing to make sure you’re aware of what others are doing and what they had on the line. That means you don’t go wreck somebody or turn somebody. You just give them a little bit more room and leniency and I feel like that’s what I saw from a Chevy side of things”
Gordon thought a Bell penalty was coming
After the race, NASCAR deliberated for 27 minutes. Gordon was right there with William Byron on pit road during the agonizing wait for NASCAR to hand down their ruling. His initial gut reaction after the race was that NASCAR would act on Bell’s wall-ride, which would put them in a good position to get Byron into the Championship 4.
“Immediately my focus went to watching the 20 [Bell] car ride the wall,” said Gordon. “It looked like he was accelerating and even though it wasn’t the same with what happened with the #1 car and Ross Chastain … it looked very, very similar to me.
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“When you saw what happened with the 20 get loose and get up into the wall — we were watching that intently. And then when he rode the wall, I did feel like … NASCAR may have a ruling there.”
Ultimately, he was correct. NASCAR ruled it as a safety violation and Bell was moved to the end of the lap, ending his 2024 title bid. Had NASCAR left it alone, three of the four drivers eliminated on Sunday would have been Hendrick drivers and none would have remained to fight for the championship.
NASCAR stated on Sunday that the radio communications were not part of their immediate decision post-race but that they would review it this week. While the Championship 4 likely will not change, it’s possible NASCAR could choose to penalize the No. 1 and No. 3 teams, and perhaps even the No. 23 Toyota of Bubba Wallace, who slowed with an alleged issue on the final lap.
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England captain Ben Stokes will not take part in next year’s Indian Premier League after opting out of the upcoming auction.
Under tighter rules regarding player availability introduced this year, it means the 33-year-old will also be unavailable for the 2026 competition.
Fast bowler Jofra Archer is among the 52 Englishmen who have signed up for the auction, which will be held on 24 and 25 November.
Archer’s decision is interesting, given hopes he could return to Test cricket next summer.
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Named the IPL’s most valuable player in 2020, the 29-year-old has made his comeback from a series of back and elbow injuries this year in white-ball cricket, but it is still hoped he could feature against India next summer and in the 2025-26 Ashes in Australia.
The 2025 IPL will also clash with the early rounds of the County Championship, potentially preventing Archer from proving his fitness in the longer format.
The IPL brought in a new rule this year that means overseas players signed by franchises who later pull out will be banned from the competition for two years.
The dates for the 2025 IPL have not been confirmed. This year it ran from 22 March to 26 May.
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After the Champions Trophy concludes in early March, England do not play again until a four-day Test against Zimbabwe on 22 May.
Steve Aoki fans in Mexico got a big surprise during his Guadalajara tour stop.
The famous DJ, who is also an avid MMA fan, invited Diego Lopes as a special guest Monday night. Apart from his sets, Aoki has made a tradition of throwing giant cakes at the crowd during his shows and, well, this time he had help from the UFC featherweight contender.
Watch here (via Instagram):
Although he wasn’t needed, Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) recently served as the official backup for the UFC 308 title fight between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway last month in Abu Dhabi. He’s currently ranked No. 3 in the official UFC rankings and has yet to be booked.
Lopes is on a five-fight wining streak, with the most recent victory a dominant unanimous decision over former title challenger Brian Ortega at UFC 306 in September.
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During an appearance on BBC Radio Suffolk, chairman Mark Ashton was asked about the Cobbold Stand by Town fans.
He said of the stand, which houses 750 season ticket holders as well as the away end: “It’s on the to-do list – it’s not the top of the to-do list, I must be honest with you.
“Why? Because I’m certainly not going to take a stand down in the midst of a Premier League season, that’s just not the right thing to do.”
A bantamweight showdown between Ketlen Vieira and Macy Chiasson is back on for a yet-to-be-announced UFC card on Feb. 22, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting. Ag. Fight first reported the matchup.
The UFC has yet to confirm the location for the show and its headlining attraction.
Vieira vs. Chiasson was originally booked UFC Vegas 84 on Jan. 13 of this year, but Vieira was forced off the card due to a knee injury.
In the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, Chiasson currently holds the No. 4 position at 135 pounds, with Vieira one spot behind at No. 5.
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Vieira (14-4) attempts to rebound from losing a decision to Kayla Harrison at October’s UFC 307 event in Salt Lake City. The Brazilian holds octagon wins over former UFC champions Holly Holm and Miesha Tate, plus one-time title challengers Cat Zingano and Sara McMann.
In two 2024 appearances, Chiasson (10-3) stopped Pannie Kianzad and Mayra Bueno Silva to improve to 7-3 since winning the 28th season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2018. Chiasson knocked out future PFL star Larissa Pacheco on the reality show, and has also beaten surging contender Norma Dumont at featherweight.
It’s election day on The Facility. Emmanuel Acho, LeSean McCoy, Chase Daniel and James Jones cast their vote for MVP, Rookie of the Year, most disappointing team and more.
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