- Manchester United summer wishlist
- Carrick future
- Who joins and leaves in a revolving door situation
With 81 days until the summer transfer window opens in England, the scramble for reinforcements looms large. In recent seasons, clubs have shifted their priorities.
Rather than chasing marquee attackers, they have turned their focus towards elite midfielders. Players who can control games, win duels, and ultimately underpin title-winning sides.
Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo and Arsenal’s Declan Rice exemplify this trend, with each commanding fees north of £100 million. Even midfielders who operate away from a defensive merit, such as Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea, or Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid, have attracted enormous sums, £106.8 million and £88.5 million respectively.
These players act as the engine room of the team, bridging the defensive spine with attacking thrust, and controlling the tempo of every move. If the defence forms the rhythm section and the attack delivers the crescendo, midfielders are the conductors.
Manchester United now stand at a crossroads, with their midfield enforcer Casemiro confirming he will leave the club this summer. That departure leaves two key roles to fill in the centre of the pitch, raising the question: who profiles as the ideal candidate to step into those positions?
Beyond midfield, uncertainty lingers over the dugout, while further scrutiny must fall on both defence and attack. There are many changes set to occur at the Theatre of Dreams.
Managerial situation – Carrick Stays
There is nowhere else to start than first analysing the manager department. Put simply, a club can attract every footballer in the world, but without clarity over who will lead the side come next autumn, doubt will inevitably linger.
Interim coach Michael Carrick leads the way. Brought in to steady a ship left in the wake of Ruben Amorim’s departure, Carrick has performed exemplarily, winning seven of his 10 matches in charge and guiding the Reds from fifth to third in the Premier League.
No team has bettered United in the form table during this time, and the club has gone from Champions League hopefuls to firm favourites for qualification. But the question on the tip of every tongue remains: is this simply a repeat of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s interim surge?
Repeat of the Solskjaer cycle?
Just like Carrick, Solskjaer took over from a departing Portuguese manager, this time in the case of Jose Mourinho, before having an incredibly impressive start to life as caretaker manager.
His start bordered on remarkable: 10 wins from his first 12 league games, 32 points on the board, and that night in Paris, when United overturned the odds to reach the Champions League quarter-finals—the last time the club managed that feat.
Momentum, however, proved fragile. Once the role was handed over permanently, results dipped. United won just two of their final eight league matches that season, sliding from fourth to sixth.
There were, of course, signs of progress. The 2019/20 campaign brought a third-place finish and three domestic semi-finals, with a vibrant front three of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, and Anthony Martial combining for 62 goals across competitions.
A year later, Solskjaer took United a step further in the league, finishing second. Yet the sense of upward trajectory faltered in Gdansk, where United fell at the final hurdle in the Europa League, losing 11–10 on penalties to Villarreal after a marathon shootout.
With fans vying for a trophy, the pressure mounted on the Norwegian. Following the controversial return of Cristiano Ronaldo—one of the defining sliding-doors moments of the era—Solskjaer’s tenure unravelled, culminating in his dismissal in November.
Risk vs Reward
Manchester United now face a defining choice: place their faith in the relatively inexperienced Michael Carrick, or turn to one of world football’s true managerial trailblazers. But who could the Reds really get?
Julian Nagelsmann is an option, but the German has a World Cup looming and will not be looking to dive into contract negotiations anytime soon.
Luis Enrique has been repeatedly linked to Manchester United, but reports claim that the Spaniard will snub an Old Trafford move. He intends to sign a contract extension at Paris Saint-Germain.
Diego Simeone’s contract mirrors that of Luis Enrique, and with the Argentine facing the prospect of another trophyless season, speculation over his future swirls. The question remains: would he be the right fit for United?
Carrick remains the first-choice option for a reason. While he may not be the headline-grabbing solution, he has provided a canvas in which the club can grow.
He has built strong relationships within the squad, with the former United midfielder fostering positive, one-on-one, and player-focused connections throughout the team. He is, as it stands, the correct choice for the dugout.
Casemiro Replacement
Now, to get into the meat of the rebuild. Replacing a five-time Champions League winner is never going to be the simplest of tasks.
Despite having a topsy-turvy United spell, history will look fondly on the Brazilian’s four years at the club. Across 155 appearances, he has scored 24 goals and claimed two major trophies—including the League Cup, where his decisive header secured victory in the final.
A plethora of names is being considered to replace Casemiro in the heart of Manchester United’s midfield. The most prominent of these is Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, a tenacious midfielder who excels in tight spaces, progressive carries, and chance creation.
Pair him next to Kobbie Mainoo, and you have an elite duo. Anderson is more than comfortable with dropping deep and doing the dirty work you need from a midfield enforcer.
Anderson is the only player in the Premier League to have won 200+ duels (254) and won possession 200+ times (259) this season. His progressive passes also rank him in the 95th percentile.
Data taken from DataMB
But with a player that good—and that young, Anderson is just 23 years of age—you have a hefty price tag. With Manchester City prowling, the baseline sits at £80 million, but the price could easily rise above £100 million.
More ‘budget-friendly’ options
Whilst no option on this shortlist is coming cheaply, they pale in comparison to the possible £100 million Anderson. As they did last summer, the INEOS board is targeting proven Premier League talent to strengthen and reinforce their squad.
Sandro Tonali stands out as a natural fit on paper, but Newcastle United don’t want to sell him, so the player would have to force a transfer. Reports claim that the club have been in contact with his agents.
Adam Wharton, also linked, presents a different kind of dilemma. His progressive passing ranks among the best in the league, but profile matters—and alongside Kobbie Mainoo, the balance looks off.
In an era of set-pieces and long balls, Wharton needs an escort. He wins just 47 per cent of his aerial duels, a figure that raises concern when partnering him with Mainoo, who wins only 38 per cent.
Putting those two together as the starting holding midfielders of a Premier League match will invite pressure, as taller, more athletic midfielders smell blood.
Shift the context, however, and the picture changes. Pair Wharton up with a James Garner—62% aerial success—and the structure begins to stabilise.
Moving away from Wharton, Carlos Baleba is a name that United have been increasingly linked with. The Cameroonian has shown glimpses of potential.
The 22-year-old enjoyed an outstanding 2024-25 breakout season, but his form has fallen off a cliff. Whilst he may work next to Mainoo—stronger in the air and in the 92nd percentile for possession won and 84th for duels won— United might not want to take a £100m risk on a player whose form started to decline when he got linked to the club.
Decision time
In the current landscape of football, where you need a tall, athletic presence in midfield who can work as a destroyer, as well as a creator, Anderson stands above the rest of United’s shortlist.
What this position truly comes down to, however, is whether you want Mainoo to start.
Whilst there is no doubt that he is one of the most popular players on the team—his shirt was the 6th most-sold in his breakthrough season—a quiet undercurrent of doubt persists among sections of the fanbase about whether he can anchor a title-winning midfield.
If you want Mainoo in the squad, you choose Anderson. Recast him as a rotational option, and Wharton—flanked by a true midfield enforcer—starts to make more structural sense.
Need for a Second Midfielder
While Casemiro’s departure will force a midfield reshuffle, United also need to recruit a second midfielder to add depth and reinforce the structure.The big question here is, how do United afford it?
Whatever the budget is for midfield this summer, at least 60-70% has to go on the Casemiro replacement. That leaves just 30-40% for a midfield partner, but it is likely that INEOS will swoop for a second acquisition in the middle of the park.
Two big options
West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes has been linked with the Red Devils. There are claims that the club’s scouts have watched him in action this season.
Stepping up after the departure of star midfielder Lucas Paqueta, Fernandes has been a saviour for West Ham fans as he tries to help the Irons avoid relegation.
The Portuguese midfielder could join one of his idols, Bruno Fernandes, if he were to arrive at the Theatre of Dreams. Reflecting on his development, he said:
“Back when I was at Sporting, I looked up to him and tried to learn from him. He plays in the same league as me, has extensive experience with the national team, and in the Premier League, I make a point of watching him closely. Without a doubt, he stands out.”
The Portuguese footballer shines most in his powerful ball-carrying—something United have been crying out for since the departure of Paul Pogba—and his status as a top-tier defensive contributor.
Fernandes ranks in the 83rd percentile for possession won among European midfielders, while also sitting in the 54th percentile for progressive carries.
A Reunion?
Another avenue for United would be to revisit familiar ground—turning to a former academy product and making a move for Everton’s James Garner. Born in Birkenhead to a Liverpool-supporting father, he joined the Red Devils’ academy at under-eight level and methodically climbed through the ranks, eventually making his senior debut in 2019.
A sustained future at Old Trafford never quite materialised. Loan spells at Watford and Nottingham Forest followed—most notably playing a pivotal role in Forest’s promotion via the play-offs—before United sanctioned his sale to Everton for a modest £9 million fee.
Ironically, his debut would come in a 2-1 home loss to his former club. In the years since, Garner has evolved into a far more complete midfielder. Technically assured and defensively resolute, he relishes the combative side of the game—winning 62 per cent of his duels and averaging close to five ball recoveries per match.
His availability has greatly improved, with the midfielder playing the joint-second most minutes in the league this season, missing just six minutes of playing time.
One further option could be Hugo Larsson of Eintracht Frankfurt. United are reportedly interested in both him and the side’s left-back, Nathanial Brown, and could be in for a shock double swoop.
The 19-year-old stands at 6ft 1in and has played almost 200 games for club and country already. Experienced, young, and good in the air, Larsson would be an option to pair alongside Wharton rather than Mainoo.
Reshaping the Attack
The attacking output Manchester United have produced this season suggests it will not be the primary focus when the summer window opens.
United have so far found the net 56 times in the league—bettered only by Arsenal and Manchester City—with 12 different players contributing to that tally. It is a spread that speaks to variety rather than reliance.
Five separate players have registered five or more goals, with Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo leading the way with 10 apiece. And yet, even amid that collective productivity, there remains a lingering sense of something missing.
The Elusive 20-Goal Number Nine
For all their goals, United have spent the better part of a decade searching for a truly ruthless No. 9. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernandes have reached 18 league goals in a season, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have all hit 17.
But the benchmark remains untouched. The last time a United player crossed the 20-goal threshold in a Premier League campaign was Robin van Persie, whose 26 goals fired the club to their 20th—and most recent—league title, sealing the Golden Boot in the process.
Whilst numerous players have hit that sweet 20-goal threshold in all competitions, no player has been within even one in the past 12 seasons.
Joshua Zirkzee, an exciting striker with amazing on-the-ball control, simply will not be able to hit those heights—nor will Sesko, yet.
Whilst it is unlikely that Manchester United will pursue a striker capable of guaranteeing 20 goals a season—as it stands, only three players across Europe’s top five leagues have reached that mark this campaign, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland—there remains another market inefficiency to exploit.
A seasoned striker enduring a dip in form could represent a cut-price opportunity. Dusan Vlahovic, long linked with Manchester United, has struck 10+ goals in each of his last five Serie A campaigns.
In 2020/21, he plundered 21 goals—44% of Fiorentina’s total—before following it with a 24-goal haul across Fiorentina and Juventus, the second-highest in the league.
Yet across recent seasons, Vlahovic’s flame has flickered. Injuries have disrupted his rhythm, and he has netted just three times in the league this campaign.
Still only 26, United could take a punt at Juventus’s number nine, to try and forge steel from a blade that has long since blunted.
Reinforcing the defence
And finally, on Manchester United’s summer docket: the quiet, necessary business of repairing a defence that has too often felt porous.
Only eight sides have conceded more than United’s 46 league goals—a figure bloated, in part, by the turbulence of Altay Bayındır’s six-game introduction, which alone accounted for 11 conceded. Whilst there has been a tightening at the back since then, cracks remain visible.
Loanee ready to step up?
The first port of call is between the posts. Whilst Senne Lammens has undoubtedly earned his number one spot, both Andre Onana and Bayindir both appear destined for exits, while Tom Heaton edges ever closer to retirement
With these three all possibly departing, it is looking threadbare between the posts.
Into that vacuum steps Radek Vitek. The loanee, hardened by two years in the English lower leagues, has quietly built a case for himself. His spell at Bristol City this season during this campaign has impressed many of the higher-ups at the club, who now believe he may have first-team football potential.
Full-back alteration
Centre-back, at least on paper, is not the issue. Leny Yoro, Lisandro Martínez, Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven offer depth, variety, and enough quality to suggest the foundations are already in place.
There are injury issues between De Ligt and Martinez, but for now, there is enough depth to be comfortable with. The problem lies not in the spine, but in the limbs.
Luke Shaw has, improbably, stitched together a season of durability, starting every league game—a feat which would have been deemed impossible a year ago. But the 29 injuries he has suffered during his 13 seasons at United have undoubtedly taken a toll on his body.
Once one of the best overlapping full-backs in the world, Shaw is unable to exert himself to the same standards as years gone by, and has had to alter his game in recent months.
His all-around game has become smarter. The explosive overlaps that defined his 2021 peak have given way to something more measured, an all-around game. He no longer possesses the same burst to surge beyond Matheus Cunha—the kind of overlapping run he once made instinctively around Marcus Rashford.
He also seldom makes a tackle in the air with his leg. Instead, he will bustle in next to the opposing player, chest the ball down, and protect his lower body from overextension.
Left-back options
An Englishman, a Spaniard, and a German. Sounds like the start of a bad joke. Myles Lewis-Skelly, as it stands, is the strongest link to a left-back.
The Arsenal youngster enjoyed a breakout season last campaign, appearing in 42 matches, including both legs of the Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid.
This term, however, Mikel Arteta has preferred Riccardo Calafiori and Pablo Hincapie, leaving Lewis-Skelly on the periphery. Across all competitions, he has played just 1,298 minutes—barely half the 2,543 he logged last year.
Lewis-Skelly has been at the club since the age of eight, but with limited minutes—just 394 this calendar year—fate might force his hand.
Next on the list is Nathaniel Brown. The 22-year-old German international has emerged as a force in the Bundesliga, equally potent going forward and disciplined defensively.
Pair him alongside teammates and follow transfer target Larsson, and United may have their future sorted. Brown has contributed to eight league goals this season and makes an average of 2.3 tackles per game.
Last on the list is Barcelona’s brilliant Balde. It is highly unlikely that we will see Alejandro Balde join United in the coming month, but if Barca were to feel the pressure of their purse strings start to hit them, they may have no choice but to sell their starting left-back.
Balde is the same age as Brown and has already featured in 160 games for the Catalans first team, whilst being capped seven times on the national stage.
The young Spaniard says he feels at home at Camp Nou, but with the La Liga giants always in financial trouble, they may have no choice but to offload him. Lewis-Skelly is the likely option, but with Arsenal not wanting to sell to a Premier League rival, they may have to set their sights on Brown.
United’s Summer Reinforcements
It is impossible to predict what the coming months will bring. For one, the World Cup falls amid a controversial period, with one of the host nations currently embroiled in conflict in the Middle East.
Things can also change quickly—by the time the tournament arrives, one of United’s targets could suffer a serious injury. As it stands, the best options for United are:
- Elliot Anderson – The talismanic midfielder remains United’s top option in the engine room
- Mateus Fernandes – Though he would ideally work better alongside Wharton, United are unlikely to push Mainoo back to the bench. Fernandes would still work as a midfield destroyer next to Mainoo/Anderson
- Lewis-Skelly – Balde may be the superior choice, but a future departure from Barcelona seems unlikely
Combined with Carrick at the helm, these reinforcements would leave Manchester United perfectly positioned to challenge for the Premier League in 2026/27.
