Former Manchester United defender Phil Jones has urged the club to sign a midfield ‘destroyer’ in the summertime transfer window.
United made it a priority to overhaul their misfiring attack ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, with Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko all arriving through the doors for a combined fee of around £200million.
The Red Devils had also been working to capture a combative midfielder to suit Ruben Amorim’s much-maligned 3-4-3 system, identifying Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba as potential targets.
Brighton have since confirmed United’s interest in Baleba on the back of the Cameroon international’s exceptional season with the Seagulls last term.
Nonetheless, in keeping with Brighton CEO Tony Bloom, United simply ‘went away’ when informed that Baleba wouldn’t be sold unless an astronomical fee was offered for the sought-after 22-year-old
It meant Amorim entered his first full season with the identical midfield options he inherited from Erik ten Hag, with the Portuguese tending to favour a pivot of Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes.
Since taking up the reins, Michael Carrick has restored Kobbie Mainoo to the side alongside Casemiro, while Fernandes has been playing in a much more advanced position – something large sections of the fanbase were demanding before Amorim’s dismissal.
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United remain within the hunt for marketplace for a central midfielder, though, and Jones is expecting the club to ‘dip into the market’ once the club have made a choice on their next everlasting manager.
Asked whether United are perhaps missing that sort of player of their squad, Jones told talkSPORT: ‘Yeah, I can agree with that.
‘I feel if Bruno Fernandes goes to play in a better position and Kobbie goes to play in that six position and Casemiro now announcing he’s leaving at the tip of the season, I feel that’ll be a position they may potentially look to dip into the market.
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‘A six, any individual who can construct but additionally be that destroyer in there as well and likewise any individual who can get concerning the pitch.
‘But I feel, while you have a look at the squad now, it’s madness. Everyone seems to be fit, everyone is accessible, it’s tough to get a game now.
‘That’s what you would like at Manchester United.’
Jones has been mightily impressed by Carrick’s start and believes his former team-mate has a knack for making the more peripheral squad members feel special.
‘The competition for places has all the time been massive but I also think what Michael has got is the flexibility to assist the players who aren’t playing,’ the ex-United and England defender explained.
‘I feel you’ve seen that with Cunha, the way in which he got here off the bench against Arsenal, and that’s an enormous trait to have, a manager who could make you are feeling an enormous a part of the club, perhaps while you’re not starting each game.
‘We glance back at Sir Alex Ferguson, that’s what he was so good at. And Michael has brought that as well.’
Bryan Mbuemo and Matheus Cunha are each having fun with promising debut seasons since arriving at Old Trafford with weighty expectations on their shoulders.
Once a big-money signing himself, Jones is confident each Mbeumo and Cunha possess the precise level of ‘arrogance’ to succeed at a club of United’s stature.
‘I feel you’ve got to have that arrogance, you’ve got to have that confidence about you,’ he said.
‘You will have to walk into Manchester United and think you’re a top player because, otherwise, it will possibly eat you up.
‘I’ve said all along that being at Manchester United for a very long time, it’s pressure… little doubt about that.
‘It’s a heavy, heavy shirt to wear but, my God, it’s a rewarding one at the identical time.
‘Hopefully we’ve seen within the last two games that there are big improvements and higher days ahead.’
Who could be the very best midfield signing for Manchester United?
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