Manchester United have not had the busy summer that was expected thus far, but this will be a positive for some players in the squad.
Going into the summer transfer window, it wouldn’t have been a shock if Manchester United had completely torn up the team and started from scratch.
Finishing 15th in the Premier League is far from good enough and very few players should be safe from the axe. However, there has been a distinct lack of proper interest in United players, with no sales completed yet.
United have five players on the transfer list this summer, with the quintet told not to bother returning for pre-season and to instead find a new club. This stance was hardened over recent days, with Marcus Rashford made to train individually after reporting for pre-season.
Plans to clear out unwanted players have not come to fruition which has also led to United struggling to complete transfer business swiftly. After signing Matheus Cunha for £62.5m, there has been over a month of talks for Bryan Mbeumo.
This slow moving will make it tricky to strengthen the four additional positions United wanted a signing, but this will benefit one current star on the cusp of his breakout.
Toby Collyer training in Asia with Manchester United.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Toby Collyer could be winner from Manchester United’s struggles to strengthen in midfield
One position that the club were always keen to strengthen this summer was midfield, with Christian Eriksen’s departure opening up a space for a new face in the ranks.
Amorim is convinced that Manuel Ugarte will come good, but a new signing was still expected to arrive. However, with the quality of options linked, United might be better looking in house for solutions, and this is where Toby Collyer could be a winner.
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It was last summer that Collyer announced himself during pre-season for United, leading to him being part of the first team squad for the entire campaign, with some very good performances.
Collyer has been compared with N’golo Kante for his relentless running in midfield, and this has helped him to impress Ruben Amorim already, but despite that he has yet to nail down a place due to consistency.
After playing a squad player role in 2024-25, Collyer has stated his desire to build on his breakout campaign, and with no midfielder signed, he has a second chance to truly breakout at United in a meaningful way and replace Ugarte and Casemiro in the starting line-up.
Toby Collyer has proven himself ready to play for Manchester United
Unlike many youngsters who will be hoping to play a big role in the new season, Collyer is effectively already a first teamer. Despite not being considered one of the highest potential youngsters in the academy, Collyer arrived at United with a label of best in the country, before injuries took their toll.
Since stepping up into the first team, Collyer has been learning from Casemiro who he had dubbed the ‘best ever’. While his debut made him the 251st United academy graduate.
In the opening year of his time with the senior side, Bruno Fernandes has raved over Collyer, while his Premier League performances have been impressive.
Collyer ranked among the best duel winners in the league last season, making him a midfielder who will be battling for the starting role this summer.
Having proven himself capable, this summer United could scrap midfield plans altogether and instead use the English youth international.