INEOS to submit £22m bid for ‘super talent’ to Manchester United

This season has been the season of Brian Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, Amad Lamence and Senne Lamence, but let’s not forget Manchester United’s ever-reliable captain Bruno Fernandes.

Mbeumo may no longer be the star attraction in his prolific goalscoring form, but the Portuguese playmaker is still quietly pulling the strings from deep in midfield, scoring two goals and providing three assists in 11 Premier League games.

Two rare penalty misses have been perhaps the 31-year-old’s biggest talking point of the season so far, but it would be foolish to suggest he played under par and once again leads the division in chances created (29), FotMob reports.

As he admitted ahead of his 300th United appearance last month, the former Sporting CP star is almost relishing the possibility of someone else taking the spotlight with Alla Mbemo and Cunha having shouldered the creative and goalscoring responsibility alone for so long at Old Trafford.

The experienced genius, the hero of his recent hat-trick on the international front, has not yet crossed the mountain, but Ruben Amorim has already hinted at a possible change in role in the future, suggesting that his compatriot may have to adapt to a “rotation” next season if the Red Devils return to European competition.

It remains to be seen whether Fernandes himself will stay after the World Cup, but in any case, a long-term replacement will be needed.

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In a refreshingly candid interview to mark the milestone match, Fernandes admitted he came close to joining Saudi side Al Hilal over the summer, but ultimately chose to stay despite receiving big salary offers from Pro League teams.

The £300,000-a-week talent, who also attracted interest from Paris Saint-Germain last year, will no doubt be given the option again if he chooses to leave in 2026, but he has indicated he will not even consider leaving until after next summer’s North American competition.

However, with his contract expiring in 2027 and concerns about Amorim’s suitability for a 3-4-2-1 set-up persisting, whether Fernandes stays or leaves, his long-term fit with the team is debatable and a younger replacement will probably be needed.

With that in mind, reports in Spain suggest that United and INEOS are preparing an offer to sign AZ Alkmaar star Keith Smit, with the 19-year-old said to have “caught the eye” of people in Manchester.

He is said to be valued at around 25 million euros (approximately 2.2 billion yen), and the report states that Old Trafford are prepared to outbid the Eredivisie side’s valuation, perhaps indicating their desire to win the race for his signature in a high-profile competition.

Compared to Dutch manager Ronald Koeman’s Pedri, the teenager, who has also been linked with Newcastle United, could definitely be a valuable punt as far as the INEOS setup is concerned.

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Since the arrival of the likes of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Jason Wilcox, there has been a clear focus on acquiring future stars, such as Patrick Dawg and Aiden Haven, or Lenny Yolo and Diego Leon.

Adding Smit to the squad could well help continue that trend, with the promising Dutch player hailed as a “super talent” by talent scout Jacek Kulig in the past and already receiving rave reviews back in the Netherlands.

Transfermarkt reports that the AZ Academy graduate, who is due to turn 20 in January, has already made 50 first-team appearances for his current team, scoring 10 goals and assisting in that time, and the 2025/26 season has proved particularly fruitful so far.

The £22 million talent, who plays primarily in a central midfield role but is also comfortable playing in deeper or more advanced positions like Fernandes, has scored two goals and provided four assists in 19 games in all competitions, with four of those coming in just 11 league games.

A player with “superstar potential” in the opinion of analyst Ben Mattinson, Smit is particularly adept at attacking from range, another trait he shares with Fernandes, and he and Cunha were tied last season for the most goals scored outside the box by a Premier League player.

Smit, who was also praised by Mattinson for his “striker-like finishing” in the box, appears to be the complete attacking package, a fact reinforced by his resemblance to Fernandes in last season’s Europa League.

In fact, according to FBref, the pair are notable for being statistically and stylistically similar among the midfielders in the competition, with both ranking particularly high when it comes to progressive passing and passing.

According to Sofascore, Simit’s creative flair has been evident this term, with him creating an average of three big chances and making two key passes per game in the Eredivisie. Returning to England for comparison, Fernandes also created three big chances and averaged slightly more key passes at 2.6 per game.

A goalscorer as well as a goalkeeper, Smit should be a potential option to replace Fernandes in the short term, before taking on a midfield role as the Portuguese’s successor in the future.

Based on current evidence, he bears a striking resemblance to a young Fernandez, and it’s easy to see why this teenager is attracting so much attention.