Manchester United must focus on upgrading the midfield this summer | OneFootball

“The midfield is the heartbeat of a football team”.

Those poetic words could emblazon the wall of La Masia – home of Barcelona’s renowned academy and an unrelenting production line of world-class midfielders – but they were spoken by a player at the Catalan club’s bitter rivals, Real Madrid.

The quote was delivered by Casemiro in 2017, five years prior to his £70 million move to Manchester United, but it rings as true now as it did then, even if the Brazilian no longer possesses the legs to function as a team’s heart.

Jumping country and year, from Spain in 2017 to England in 2025, the Red Devils endured their worst season in the Premier League era last year with Casemiro unable to provide life support to his flailing side.

A dismal domestic campaign – Ruben Amorim’s side finished 15th with multiple records broken in terms of points, losses, and goals scored – was compounded by early exits from the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, as well as an embarrassing Europa League final loss to Tottenham Hotspur to close out the season.

Put bluntly, United were utterly woeful, historically so.

The team flatlined and no amount of resuscitation from Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag in November without any improvement in results, could revive the sickly patient in a Red shirt.

If the three promoted (and promptly relegated) sides – Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton – had mustered less abysmal re-entries into the Premier League, United would have faced the almost incomprehensible reality of a genuine relegation battle.

It is curious, therefore, why a central midfielder, prescribed as the heartbeat of a team, is not considered an urgent priority for a side who came perilously close to death last season.

Focus on the Forwards

United’s focus in the transfer market this summer is bolstering Amorim’s forward line above all else, including midfield.

Only four clubs scored fewer goals than the Red Devils last season, Everton and three relegated teams. The two senior strikers, Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, who totalled over £100 million in transfer fees across successive windows, combined for just seven league goals. No player in the squad reached double figures.

It is therefore an entirely sensible approach to focus on ways to increase the attacking threat of the team next season – and the most obvious way to do this is to simply buy better attackers.

One has already been secured – Matheus Cunha, signed for £62.5 million from Wolverhampton Wanderers – while another, Bryan Mbeumo, is seemingly on the verge of signing from Brentford, though negotiations have stalled with an agreement on price yet to be struck.

In the league last season, Cunha scored 15 goals and provided six assists for a poor Wolves team. Mbeumo returned 20 goals and eight assists in a better, but still midtable, Brentford side. Collectively they contributed to 49 goals; United scored 44 in total by comparison.

Evidently, both Cunha and Mbeumo are excellent forwards who offer an array of attributes sorely lacking at Old Trafford and provide the perfect profile of proven goals and Premier League pedigree that Amorim is desperate to add to his attacking unit.

So why is seeking to sign Mbeumo at a similar price to Cunha a mistake? Because the failing heart of the team will continue to go untreated as a result.

Reinventing the Midfield

United’s transfer budget this summer is limited.

The failure to secure European football next season and the ripple effect of the club’s dismal recruitment mistakes in recent years means the war chest is not as deep as required to effectively overhaul Amorim’s squad.

Seemingly, there are sufficient funds to sign Cunha for £62.5 million and Mbeumo for a similar fee. After that, United appear reliant on sales to finance further signings.

But neither Cunha nor Mbeumo are number nines, despite both forwards having played there at times during their career. At present, one member of the impotent partnership of Hojlund and Zirkzee – the Chuckle Brothers of the opposition box – will be starting against Arsenal at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of next season.

Similarly, either Casemiro or Manuel Ugarte will be lining up in midfield as the number six against the Gunners – two players who contributed to last season’s heart attack.

Casemiro, 33, no longer possesses the physical attributes to perform at the highest level in English football. Ugarte, 24, requires more time before judgement is passed, having only signed from Paris-Saint Germain last summer, but the Uruguay international is not blessed with speed or strength and lacks skill on the ball.

The options for the number eight position – Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo – are healthier prospects, though not free of concern.

Fernandes, 30, remains United’s talisman and produced brilliant displays at the heart of United’s midfield last season when deployed deeper by Amorim, despite having spent the majority of his career as a number ten. Doubts remain about whether this is the most effective position for the club’s captain, however.

Similarly, Mainoo, 20, endured a difficult sophomore campaign and Amorim appears torn over whether the academy graduate is best suited further forward or in midfield, having drifted between both throughout the season. He often struggled with the physical demands of playing in a midfield pivot, but has prioritised strength and conditioning in the offseason this summer in a bid to improve his abilities off the ball.

But Mainoo remains an elite prospect in midfield due to his capabilities on the ball.

If Amorim, and by extension United, are unable to find a home for their homegrown talent in the centre of the pitch, it says far more about the coach than it does the player.

Mainoo’s profile is comparable to Portugal international Vitinha – comfortably the best midfielder in Europe this season (in the absence of the injured Rodri) and heartbeat of his treble-winning Paris-Saint Germain side.

At 25, Vitinha is at the peak of his powers with a potent pairing of skill and quick feet which make him appear as if he grew up in La Masia. He is PSG’s metronome; the conductor of an all-conquering symphony where he needs neither size nor strength to rule with a skilful fist; and a strong contender for the Ballon d’Or.

But, at 20 years of age, Vitinha was playing for Wolves on loan from Porto with a buy-option worth £17 million. The Black Country side chose not to activate this and he returned to the Estádio do Dragão at the end of the 2020/21 season.

So why did Wolves let a future Ballon d’Or contender with a bargain price slip away? Because undersized midfielders with more brains than brawn take time to find their feet in English football.

Luka Modric is the best central midfielder of the past decade, bar none. Yet the 20-year-old version of the Real Madrid magician, who won the Ballon d’Or at 33 years of age, had just finished a loan with Inter Zaprešić – a Croatian club who no longer exist.

He would not move to Spurs until he was nearly 23. And even then, Modric began life at White Hart Lane on the left, only being shifted to the centre of the pitch after Harry Redknapp’s appointment, which eventually led to the move to the Santiago Bernabeu after he established himself as one of the Premier League’s best midfielders.

These comparisons are not drawn to contend Mainoo will reach the dizzying heights of Modric or Vitinha. Rather, they are made to identify the rapid scope for improvement a 20-year-old midfielder can make if faith is placed in their ability to win a battle in the engine room of a team through technique over physique.

Furthermore, if Mainoo is allowed to reclaim the number eight position at Old Trafford, this then frees up Fernandes – the club’s top scorer last season with 19 goals, as well as 19 assists, in all competitions – to move further forward again.

Fernandes is a world-class attacking midfielder, and he has been since he arrived at the Red Devils in 2020. His ideal role is as the number ten in a 4-2-3-1 system, surrounded by pace and power to help penetrate defences with his outstanding vision and creativity.

The Portuguese retains the ability to play effectively as a number eight, perhaps even more so than Mainoo at present, but placing United’s best attacker further away from the opposition box, at a time when the team is so devoid of goals, is counterproductive.

Amorim’s rather unique 3-4-2-1 system puts great emphasis on the two number tens. But the former Sporting manager prioritises a players who can drive/dribble with the ball in this position – a rare point of weakness for Fernandes, but one which is a major strength for both Cunha and Mbeumo.

It’s evident why Amorim wants these two signings to help transform his ailing attack. But he already has a world-class number ten in his squad and a number eight with world-class potential, even if they are not perfect profiles the Portuguese coach prefers.

Sinking the remaining £60-70 million of the club’s budget into securing a different number ten, to then play your existing number ten in place of your number eight, who you relegate to the bench, is the wrong approach, no matter how good Mbeumo is.

Amorim must play Mainoo in his midfield pivot and he must play Fernandes as part of his front three; mainly because it costs the vast sum of £0 million to make this decision. This leaves United with the same problem in the number six position – the absence of an athletic defensive midfielder – but it frees up £60-70 million to address it.

And the perfect remedy to ail United’s failing heart already exists in the Premier League – it just requires a trip to the down south.

The Case for Carlos

Brighton & Hove Albion are unquestionably the best run football club in Britain, perhaps even Europe.

The Seagulls have become a production line for talented youngsters (and coaches) who they identify, develop, and then flip for a massive profit to bigger sides, with a replacement already waiting in the wings.

Over the past three years, three members of England’s ‘top six’ have signed midfielders from Brighton, only for a better version to emerge at the Amex Stadium in their place.

First, in 2022, Spurs signed Yves Bissouma in a deal worth £35 million. Second, early in the summer of 2023, Liverpool captured Alexis Mac Allister for a price which could rise to £55 million. Third, late in the same window, Chelsea agreed a British-record fee of £115 million to sign Moise Caicedo.

Mac Allister is better than Bissouma and Caicedo is better than Mac Allister (but only marginally, suggesting Liverpool struck the best deal), as each transfer fee reflected.

This summer should be United’s turn to play the midfield slot machine at the renowned Brighton pier because there is potentially the best option yet on offer – Carlos Baleba.

Baleba, 21, arrived on the south coast in the final days of the 2023 summer window to replace Caicedo. The then 19-year-old midfielder cost £23.3 million from LOSC Lille after forging an “impressive reputation” in France, despite his tender years.

He played 39 times in all competitions for Brighton under Roberto De Zerbi in his debut campaign, quickly becoming a key part of his new side. But it’s his sophomore year which has made the Premier League stand up and take notice.

Last season, after Fabian Hurzeler arrived to replace De Zerbi last summer, Baleba truly found his feet in English football, making 40 appearances, returning four goals and two assists from defensive midfield, and firmly establishing himself as one of the standout youngsters in Europe.

Baleba is blessed with speed and strength in equal measure. His work rate is outstanding and he is a dominant force out of possession, capable of covering large distances while remaining excellent in one-on-one duels to help win back the ball.

But the Cameroon international is superb once he regains possession as well. Perhaps his best attribute is his ability to drive with the ball through midfield, demonstrating a burst of acceleration and a deftness of touch after a strong challenge which has drawn comparisons to N’Golo Kante.

The prospect of a midfield pivot of Baleba and Mainoo is a tantalising one as it has the potential to develop into one of the best partnerships in Europe.

Amorim was believed to be dismayed by the physicality of his new squad when he arrived at Old Trafford to replace Erik ten Hag last November. New recruits – as both Cunha and Mbeumo demonstrate – must be capable of thriving in the Premier League physically as well as technically.

Baleba offers both facets in abundance, in a way neither Casemiro nor Ugarte can, or even Mainoo or Fernandes. The 21-year-old would immediately become United’s best option in the middle, despite his tender years, as he offers the quintessential prototype of a modern midfielder, capable of influencing the game in and out of possession.

Amorim’s idealised version of United is a physically dominant team who takes the game to the opposition, rather than waiting to be attacked, as his side often did last season. Neither of Casemiro or Ugarte offer the requisite profile to fulfil this vision – but Baleba does.

This view is then strengthened by the fact Baleba’s arrival would provide the ideal partner for Mainoo and enable Fernandes to play further forward, thus increasing United’s limp attacking threat. It also allows Amad to be deployed as a wing-back, operating close to Fernandes and offering the direct running from the right-hand side which Amorim wants Mbeumo to provide.

Baleba’s signing would create a far more balanced version of Amorim’s ideal vision than Mbeumo. He would function as an adrenaline shot to the heart of United’s team in a way a new attacker never could – and it’s this reason why The Peoples Person have identified Baleba as a key target this summer.

However, there is risk United may miss out. It feels increasingly likely the midfield starlet will not remain a Brighton player for much longer, with both Manchester City and Liverpool strongly linked with a move, as well as interest from abroad.

The Red Devils must act now by ditching a pursuit of Mbeumo, and instead investing all their remaining budget into securing Baleba’s signature. The choice between a starting eleven composed of Baleba and Mainoo with Fernandes in his best position, versus Ugarte and Mbeumo with Fernandes nowhere near the opposition goal, is not really a choice.

INEOS need to sign the new beating heart of their team before a rival gets there first.

Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Image

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