The last time Manchester United started a game of Premier League football, the staff at Artemis II still had their feet firmly on the ground.
And by the time the Red Devils begin their return against Leeds United on Monday, the crew will have been to the moon and back.
If that doesn’t sum up my life as a Man United fan over the past 12 months, it probably won’t. But things are getting better. Like Artemis, Old Trafford’s players are targeting another star under manager Michael Carrick, with their chances of Champions League qualification increasing by the week.
They could therefore have a great summer transfer window.
How can Manchester United replace Casemiro?
With Harry Maguire’s new contract allaying concerns about their backline, Man United can once again turn their attention to replacing Casemiro this summer.
Forget Andersson and Tonali: INEOS puts Manchester United’s next Casemiro on loan
Manchester United’s midfield solution could be a little closer to home.
The resurgent Brazilian shows how far he has come since he broke the terms at Old Trafford and Jamie Carragher offered him some high-profile advice.
It may be difficult to recreate a player who suddenly looked so replaceable, but that won’t stop Man United from doing so well.
In that regard, INEOS have already been linked with the transfers of Sandro Tonali and Elliott Anderson, two players who would be great additions.
Ball collection PL 25/26 | |
|---|---|
Elliot Anderson | 257 |
joan gomez | 160 |
Andre | 159 |
Adrian Traffert | 159 |
Dominik Szoboszlai | 157 |
The latter has been particularly impressive this season and will give Man United one of the best midfielders the Premier League has to offer. Anderson will provide the ball recovery king the Red Devils have been looking for, alongside the more technical Koby Mainu.
Unfortunately, with Manchester City still sniffing around, Man United had no choice but to turn to a version of Anderson who is much cheaper on the market and who their rivals should already be familiar with.
Manchester United begin signing new midfielder
Man United are currently working on a deal to sign Shay Charles from Southampton this summer, the Daily Mail reports.
In fact, they claim United are one of a number of teams who have sent scouts to monitor the Northern Irish midfielder. They will be joined by Everton and Scottish club Rangers in a bid to sign him from the second-tier side.
The former Man City graduate hit the headlines in the recent game against Arsenal, scoring the winning goal that ended the Gunners’ hopes of winning the treble and ensured Saints’ place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Now, after completing a first-hand check, the Old Trafford outfit could move to sign Anderson for themselves, with a move for the £20m-rated midfielder.
It’s also easy to see where the comparisons to Anderson could be made. The Nottingham Forest star is one of the best line-breakers in the Premier League and Como scout Ben Mattinson praised the traits Charles displayed during his time at Man City.
Meanwhile, Mattinson also claimed Charles has the “physical ability to lead senior football” and that Anderson has been doing that at the top level for the past two years.
25/26 League Statistics P90 | anderson | charles |
|---|---|---|
minutes | 2,774 | 1,673 |
Duel victory | 8.24 | 6.67 |
tackle | 2.92 | 2.26 |
collect | 8.4 | 5.49 |
An opportunity has arisen | 1.56 | 1.24 |
Statistically speaking, Charles is nowhere near Anderson’s level this season. INEOS might welcome the Southampton man with open arms if they want to save a splurge on one of their biggest signings this summer.
Signing the 22-year-old would also give Man City a win, but Man City let the academy graduate leave the club with little sign of him making it into the first team. Now, with them potentially spending big on Anderson, their rivals could sign their own version of the Forest midfielder who has been under manager Pep Guardiola’s grasp all along.
Charles won’t steal the headlines this summer like other players. But with time, he will prove the doubters wrong and make Old Trafford forget all about Anderson.
Man United have agreed to sign a midfielder who could save them millions of dollars with Tonali.
Manchester United have been linked with Sandro Tonali in recent weeks.
