Hamann slams Man Utd ‘leadership’ over Amorim arrival amid ‘doubts over every player’ but two

Didi Hamann has hit out at Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the other Manchester United chiefs, claiming “strong leadership is clearly lacking upstairs” after how they came to appoint Ruben Amorim.

Amorim won his first Premier League game as United boss on Sunday as Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee scored two goals each in a 4-0 victory to significantly improve the mood at Old Trafford.

It was at all an all-time low at the start of the season after Erik ten Hag kept his job after their worst-ever campaign but was soon replaced by Amorim, via interim boss Ruud Van Nistelrooy, with that pair restoring some pride at United, who are now remarkably above both Aston Villa and Newcastle in the table.

Hamann is baffled by the decision from the club hierarchy not to make the call to sack Ten Hag in the summer and also claims there are only two Red Devils players – Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo – over whom there are no doubts.

“I think that’s the thing with United, if you look at their team now, you wouldn’t really know where to start,” Hamann told Genting Casino.

“Obviously, you’ve got Garnacho and Mainoo, two very young and exciting players, but then there are doubts about every other single player. There are doubts about every part of their team, whether it’s the goalkeeper, the defence, midfield or attack.

“Hojlund needs to come into his own a little bit more. He’s still very young. You probably have to give him time. Then again at United, he won’t get much time.

“The other thing is, if they wanted Amorim, and obviously we go back to the FA Cup final, if Ten Hag hadn’t won it, maybe they would have decided to bring him in then. United have decided to bring him in now in November, but I’m sure they would have got him in the summer if they really wanted him.

“It would have been much easier for United to do that, and it would have been cheaper, but they decided to stick with Erik Ten Hag and that is a decision that raises serious questions about the judgement of the United leadership team.

“There have been a few decisions made at Manchester United that I didn’t really understand. Hopefully with Amorim, because they need a strong manager, they need a strong leader, because the way they handled the summer and Ten Hag’s future, that strong leadership is clearly lacking upstairs.

“There’s different people talking and some not talking enough. I think the fans would have been begging Fergie to come out and say something, but he’s keeping out of it, which is obviously his right.

“They’ve got a manager who offers a bit of optimism and gives the club something to look forward to for the first time in a long time. It would be good for the Premier League to have a strong Manchester United.”

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Hamann believes in Mainoo Manchester United have a player who can go right to the very top of the game.

He added: “I think Kobbie Mainoo is a very interesting player. The way he played for England in the summer, for a young boy to come in, that was impressive.  Last season he scored some important goals. I think Mainoo is a fantastic talent.

“There are some fantastic central midfield players, but Mainoo is probably the one I’d be most interested in watching where he goes over the next couple of years. I think Mainoo can defend and attack, which is a good thing.

“When you play in central midfield with two players, I think it’s very important that you haven’t got similar players. You need players with different qualities that complement each other.

“I think Mainoo has discipline and if he wants to do it, he could be one of the best holding players. Then again, he gets his shot off. He’s got a trick as well. He can score goals.

“If you play him next to a Declan Rice, as he does sometimes for England, I think he can play higher. If his future is as a number 8, then I think he will need to get six, seven, or eight goals from open play in a season.

“I think he’s capable of doing that if he puts his mind to it. I think he has the potential to become one of the best midfielders in England.”