INEOS begin contract negotiations with £44m ‘monster’ to become Manchester United’s new Mainoo player

Manchester United bounced back from a disappointing 2-1 loss to Leeds United in the Premier League, building on Liam Rosenior’s disastrous performance at Chelsea.

Indeed, during their trip to Stamford Bridge, Michael Carrick’s Red Devils almost narrowly won 1-0 against a dejected Blues, with Matheus Cunha’s early opener ultimately making the difference.

The man who stood out was undoubtedly Coby Mainu, as young English players continued to excel under Carrick’s tutelage, despite Cunha’s strike. He completed 91% of his passes and won six duels after a successful trip to the capital.

Casemiro won six games, while his passing accuracy was just 83%, as United will need to make effective use of the summer transfer window to find a long-term replacement for the aging Brazilian.

Manchester United could sign Mainu 2.0

United fans will have been hoping that Casemiro would have been able to sign a new contract after he suddenly aged like fine wine at Old Trafford.

Indeed, with 10 goals in the Premier League this season, it’s clear that the South American warrior is still a tenacious performer despite being 34 years old.

However, United’s clear priority in the summer is to sign a new midfield presence, with him likely to leave at the end of the season.

Elliott Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Aurélien Choameny are reportedly being linked with signings, but new reports also suggest United have entered into contract talks with Atalanta ace Ederson as another central option.

The Premier League giants have previously been linked with the Brazilian, and new reports from Italy suggest Carrick and his team are making concrete steps towards achieving their long-term goals.

Talks are reportedly underway to finalize a deal, with Ederson’s overhead price tag being a modest £44m, compared to Anderson’s aforementioned transfer fee of £100m.

United are looking to fill the void left by Casemiro, but sealing off the signing of Ederson could actually land them a new version of Maynou.

How can Ederson become the new Mainu?

Ederson may be five years older than the United player, but he is very much in the same mold as the dynamic youngster.

Able to play as a holding anchor, a traditional central option, or further forward as an attacking midfielder, much like Mainu, Ederson also provides a long-range bullet if needed for the Serie A team.

His brilliant goal against Barcelona last year brought him to 15 goals and five assists in 175 games for Bergamo, showing that he is a star who is undaunted by the pressure of the Theater of Dreams.

Mainu hasn’t lost much in this department, scoring 7 goals and providing 5 assists for 97 points despite playing much less in Manchester.

But both Brazilian ‘monsters’, as heralded by journalist Ryan Taylor, are much more than just goals and assists, and digging deeper into their numbers so far this season in Serie A, they appear well-equipped to excel in the hustle and bustle of the Premier League.

The table above clearly shows the similarities between the two, with both midfielders as eager to run forward and do defensive work as they are willing to run forward and take part in attack. They have won a similar number of duels per 90, but their like-minded pass completion percentage speaks volumes for the clinical numbers they are in the middle of the park.

For £44m, United may be able to get a bargain instead of spending big on extravagance. Mainu cost the Red Devils a penny and is now a first-team regular after coming through their well-regarded academy set-up.

Even with Casemiro gone, he will still remain a key figure in the new United side. At just 21 years old, he still has a lot of work to do.

However, he could soon partner with Ederson. There is a good chance that another energetic and versatile midfielder, once praised by Italian content creator Damiano Coccia as “the best defensive midfielder in the world”, could join Old Trafford’s camp to soften the blow of Casemiro’s departure.