Manchester United have been tipped to sign Joao Palhinha, on loan at Tottenham from Bayern Munich, as a substitute for Manuel Ugarte.
The Red Devils have reportedly put Ugarte, branded a ‘wet blanket’ by Craig Burley, up on the market ahead of the January transfer window next month and it’s no secret that Ruben Amorim’s side are keen to recruit a brand new midfielder.
United paid £50m to sign Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain in 2024 – but when he departs Old Trafford – Pedro Mendes feels Palhinha could replace him.
Palhinha joined Spurs on loan from Bayern in the summertime and the north London side have an choice to buy him at the top of the season for £27m.
But ex-Spurs midfielder Mendes is convinced his Portuguese compatriot Palhinha could join United, despite being the same sort of player to Ugarte.
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United previously targeted a move for Palhinha before he joined Bayern in a £47.4m deal from Fulham in July 2024.
‘Palhinha at Man Utd? Well, why not?’ Mendes told Boyle Sports, who offer the newest Football Betting.
‘To be fair, I feel Manuel Ugarte is roughly the identical sort of player as Palhinha. [But] Palhinha is an option in the event that they want to interchange him.
‘We are usually not sure what’s going to occur to Casemiro, so I feel it (Manchester United signing Palhinha) could work.’
‘Palhinha is the everyday Premier League No.6’
Mendes added: ‘Joao Palhinha is the everyday Premier League number six, that defensive midfielder who just sweeps up all the things in front of the defenders.
‘If you’ve got a team that has a variety of possession, he’s a little bit bit out of his game, from my standpoint.
‘The players around him will shine greater than him because, as you said, he just wins the ball, passes it away, tackles the ball, passes it. He’s implausible at doing that role. He was implausible at Fulham.
‘At Bayern Munich, when you’ve got 70% or 60% of ball possession a lot of the games, you don’t need to do this sort of job.
‘Because normally teams play counter-attack or don’t have that sort of possession against you, his strength is a little bit bit forgotten.
‘He has more of the ball and he must be more involved in the sport, and to be fair, it’s not his major strength.
‘So probably that’s why he struggled at Bayern and at Spurs in the mean time. I like what I saw in some games this yr from him, but it surely’s different from Fulham.’
Nani, meanwhile, believes Palhinha can be a super fit for United’s midfield.
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