The 2025/26 Premier League season will kick off later this month. Teams are feverishly finalising their business in the summer transfer window and Manchester United are no exception.
Recently, however, the Red Devils have been given a nudge in a certain direction. Former Liverpool and Aston Villa forward Emile Heskey has an opinion on who they should sign next – Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez.
Fernandez has been touted with an exit from Chelsea all summer. Plenty of teams have been linked with a move for the player, but now, Heskey thinks United should join the race.
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Back in July, Football365 reported that Liverpool were interested in Fernandez’s signature, with head coach Andoni Iraola personally wanting to bring him to Anfield.
As well as this, TransferFeed claimed that other top teams, such as Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Barcelona and PSG were also in the mix.
However, no club has been as heavily linked as Real Madrid has. They went as far as to put out an official statement in which they claimed to have had no contact with the 25-year-old, but they still continue to be mentioned within the transfer rumour mill surrounding him.
What did Emile Heskey say about Man Utd’s potential Enzo Fernandez transfer?
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Speaking with The Metro, Heskey said: “Midfield is an area that Manchester United can definitely improve, and Enzo Fernandez would help.
“With Casemiro leaving earlier in the summer, they need to replace that presence. He had a very good end to the season and will be missed.
“I think Enzo Fernandez could be the one to come in and replace him. And if they get him, I can see them as title challengers.
“They’ve always had the players, Manchester United, but the systems played by previous managers haven’t always suited them. If they get the system right, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be challenging Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool for the title.”
Enzo Fernandez 2025/26 Premier League stats
Enzo Fernandez 2026 World Cup stats
Would Enzo Fernandez be a good signing for Man Utd?
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In a sense, Heskey is bang on. United do need some more central midfielders in their ranks, but is Enzo Fernandez the right fit at the moment?
Having already signed Youri Tielemans, who occupies a similar role, United need energy in midfield at the moment. Fernandez is a wonderfully skilled footballer, but he is not a box-to-box player.
Fernandez could, in theory, fill the hole left behind by Casemiro, as Heskey said. However, Casemiro is a defensive-minded midfielder who offers more out of possession, while Fernandez is more of a deep-lying playmaker.
On top of this, they have already snapped up Andrey Santos from Chelsea to plug that particular gap. Furthermore, Santos has been playing very well for the Red Devils in their pre-season friendlies, so this doesn’t seem to be a priority any more.
Fernandez is an excellent player who would be a fantastic addition to any squad in the world, but we feel that United could and should spend their money more pragmatically in this case.