Manchester United were priced out of a deal for Carlos Baleba in the summer but could still pursue other targets in January
The Red Devils have just one win to celebrate from their opening four competitive matches. A last gasp 3-2 win over newly promoted Burnley thanks to a 97th-minute penalty. Other than that the club suffered a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, drew 1-1 with Fulham, and perhaps most harrowingly, crashed out in the second round of the Carabao Cup to League Two Grimsby Town on penalties before any of the side’s competing in Europe even enter the competition in the first place.
Amorim is no longer what can be labelled as a ‘new manager’ in the grand scheme of things, and it’s clear as daylight that United are well behind where just about everyone expected them to be when the Portuguese coach first took charge back in November.
What do Man Utd need to sign to succeed?
Despite having a serial-winner in Casemiro at the heart of midfield, a young prodigy in Kobbie Mainoo who was once dubbed as the next big thing, Manuel Ugarte, who played well under Amorim at a previous club, and club captain and modern day great Bruno Fernandes all in the squad - it’s clear to see that the Red Devils are missing a bit of a real quality in the middle of the park and the balance is not quite right.
Fernandes simply needs to be moved further up the field to produce his best work, while someone needs to be signed in the middle of the park that can bring a sense of composure to the team and patrol the central midfield with a sense of quality while playing with the exuberance required to fit into Amorim’s current philosophy, which so far often sees United get out-numbered in the middle of the park.
Time will tell whether Amorim makes it to January in the dugout, but it’s clear that the former Sporting CP boss was aware of this potential problem by his frantic efforts to try and get Carlos Baleba from Brighton. The Seagulls showed great resolve to keep their rising Cameroonian talent at the club, and it’s fair to say after United’s failure to qualify for Europe that the reported asking price of £100m was simply not in the budget at this stage.
Man Utd should look to target Nicolo Barella
United need quality in central midfield to rise back into European contention. One of the best in the business at this moment is Inter Milan hero Nicolo Barella and he’s the calibre of player that has the qualities to seamlessly adapt to the Premier League.
Barella is a 63-time Italy international and a boyhood Inter Milan fan who has played for the San Siro side for the last five years. He learned his trade at Cagliari where he racked up 105 appearances in Serie A before securing his dream move. The 28-year-old is one of the best all-round midfielders in Italian football. He’s played 293 matches across all competitions for Inter, scoring 25 times and making 61 assists while winning nearly everything in sight with two league titles, two Coppa Italia trophies and three Supercoppa Italiana honours.
The only missing piece for Barella is a European honour, having reached the final of the Champions League on two occasions and once in the Europa League as well. Barella has made the Serie A Team of the Year on six occasions and has twice been nominated for the Ballon d’Or. He was a standout performer in the European Championships triumph in 2020 for Italy and is blessed with great technical ability, stamina, aggression and an immense eye for a pass.
He’s previously been linked £65m move to United, but it’ worth noting that he is under contract until 2029 and is reported to be one of the highest paid players in Italy - that would make him a difficult player to sign. However, based on his career so far and the qualities he possesses, he could potentially be a game-changing signing for United and one that’d likely cost around £40m less than Baleba if they were to test the waters in January.
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