Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada insisted that the club’s recruitment department are “working around the clock” to provide Ruben Amorim with a competitive squad ahead of what he is predicting to be a positive campaign.
Berrada has made no secret of his bold ambitions for United, insisting as recently as June that the club are aiming to win the Premier League by 2028. There have thus far only been three additions to a squad which finished 15th last season with exactly half of Liverpool’s title-winning points tally.
Club captain Bruno Fernandes has openly called for “one or two” more signings, admitting that they are still in need of “more quality to get everyone to step up a little more to get to the XI.” Amorim broadly agreed with his playmaker.
Addressing the media before Fernandes’s diatribe, Berrada presented a far rosier picture. “All of the signs are positive and we are cautiously optimistic. We hope we are going to have a great season,” he beamed.
“What we want to do is to win and to start winning titles as soon as possible. Of course, adding players helps. We have seen the arrival of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Diego León.”
Berrada opened up on the challenging logistics he faces while operating between two continents during United’s pre-season tour of the U.S. “We have to do a lot of multi-tasking,” he sighed.
“We have a team back home led by [director of football] Jason [Wilcox], the recruitment team, that is working around the clock to ensure that we continue to find opportunities to strengthen our squad. There are lots of late calls and early morning meetings to make sure that we stay on top of it.”
United have been heavily linked with recruiting a new centre forward this summer. RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Šeško appears to be the leading target although the Red Devils face stiff competition from Newcastle United.
Prior to Fernandes’s outburst, the unbeaten tour of America had rekindled some excitement among a fanbase still reeling from a dire end to last season. “The mood has been very good,” Berrada insisted.
“The culture, the standards, the values, we are trying to ensure that we create a team spirit that allows the players to compete at the highest level. We have very high standards, Ruben is very clear about that and so is Jason Wilcox. It is something we want to see with the players, with the staff, with everyone.
“It is about raising standards and being very disciplined, and the way you approach the application of those standards. We have to make sure that everybody abides by them, that everybody believes in them and that nobody falls out of line. It is really important for us to create that sense of togetherness around a single idea.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘All Signs Are Positive’—Man Utd Chief Provides Exciting Transfer Update.