Amorim backed to oversee monumental clear-out, with Man Utd star ...

Former England striker Stan Collymore has explained why every single Manchester United player Ruben Amorim has inherited should be up for sale, while one star in particular came in for stinging criticism.

Amorim has inherited a Man Utd squad that is expensively assembled, though one that has largely underperformed and underdelivered over recent years.

Former boss Erik ten Hag spent north of £600m in five windows in charge. But when speaking to Caught Offside, former Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and England striker Collymore claimed not one player currently at Old Trafford can be truly relied upon.

Collymore suggested each and every player in United’s first-team should be available for sale until such point as they’ve proven their worth to Amorim.

What’s more, Collymore zeroed in on summer signing Joshua Zirkzee who in his mind, has ‘dropped off a cliff’ since arriving.

“I think that every single player – Casemiro, Amad, Rashford or whoever it is – at this point in time should be available for sale until the time where Amorim has played them for 15 to 20 games and they’ve proven that they can produce consistent nine out of 10 performances,” declared Collymore.

“Rashford scoring within 30 seconds against Ipswich but then doing nothing else for the rest of the game… we’ve seen this before and not just with him either.

“Can we honestly say, with our hands on our hearts, that there is one Manchester United player that is a consistent title winning player? The answer is no.

“When Zirkzee first came it was ‘great, he’s the future, he’s a ball playing, ball carrying number 10 that can get in the box’ but he’s already dropped off a cliff.

“The reality is that I could pick out any names that Manchester United could build around, but I would be lying to myself as a pundit to say that I could guarantee that any of these guys will be relevant in 20 to 25 games time.”

READ MORE: The key contract details of every Man Utd first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…

Amorim’s first order of business in the transfer market, per Fabrizio Romano, is to sign a left-sided defender. Alphonso Davies and Theo Hernandez are the two highest profile targets in United’s sights.

But once a new left-back/left-wing-back has been secured, attention will quickly turn to forging a reunion between Amorim and Viktor Gyokeres.

The Sporting CP striker has operated at roughly a goal-per-game since joining from Coventry City. Gyokeres is understandably a man in demand, but according to The Sun, the Swede has his heart set on linking up with Amorim at Man Utd.

With a Gyokeres deal there for the taking for a fee in the €60m-€70m range, all eyes will be on who is sacrificed to make room.

Caught Offside recently reported Amorim has already determined Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford ARE part of his long-term plans.

The same could not be said of Zirkzee, however, and the Dutchman continues to be heavily linked with a quick-fire return to Italy by way of Juventus.

TEAMtalk’s understanding of Zirkzee’s situation is Man Utd are not giving up on Zirkzee just yet, though a loan exit in January is entirely possible.

In other news, GiveMeSport claim Amorim has ordered Man Utd chiefs to ‘fast-track’ the signing of Sporting midfielder Morten Hjulmand.

That comes on the back of near neighbours Manchester City taking an interest in the Denmark international.

Elsewhere, it’s emerged the total cost of sacking Erik ten Hag and all of his coaching staff was £10.4m.

Bringing Amorim and his own personnel to Old Trafford set the club back another £11m, bringing the total cost of change to £21.4m.

Assessment by Nathan Egerton

Zirkzee made a dream start to his United career, coming off the bench to score a winner against Fulham in front of the Stretford End on his debut.

But he’s been unable to build on that start, and has failed to find the net in any of his 17 appearances that have followed.

The 6ft 4in striker has a languid style and likes to play at his own pace and has clearly struggled with the speed and intensity of Premier League football.

“Go watch Zirkzee play in the Premier League and tell me if he seems like the same player we admired in Bologna: in Italy he did what he wanted, in England he doesn’t even have time to think about the play before the ball is stolen from him,” Fabio Capello said.

Despite his height, he’s not a physical presence and most notably failed to win any of his 10 ground and aerial duels in the 3-0 defeat against Liverpool.

The 23-year-old – who describes himself as a ‘9.5’ – also lacks a killer instinct in the penalty area and has missed four big chances in the Premier League this season.

There have been flashes of quality in his link-up play outside the box and a front two with both Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund may get the best out of the Netherlands international.

He also needs to be surrounded by players that are comfortable with the ball at their feet, which will allow him to showcase his technical abilities.