**Manchester United have been linked with a host of midfielders since they moved on from Carlos Baleba, but fans should not want the club to rush in.**
United were previously keen on 21-year-old midfielder Baleba as Ruben Amorim looked to strengthen the rest of his squad.
He had already recruited Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and [Benjamin Sesko](https://essential.football/manchester-united-transfer-news-benjamin-sesko-opinion/), but with problems across the United starting line-up, it is no surprise that United continue to be mentioned with names before the end of the summer transfer market.
Baleba was valued at more than £100 million by his current club, with some clubs suggesting they wanted north of the £116.5m spent by Liverpool to land Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen earlier in the close season.
With United coming up against the limits of their Profit and Sustainability limitations, they walked away from any deal, and Brighton appear to be preparing to sell Baleba for a hefty valuation next summer, provided he continues to impress.
As a result, United have reportedly been looking elsewhere. The two first names mentioned were Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace, as well as Amorim’s former player, Sporting CP midfielder Morten Hjulmand. Wharton would presumably be just as highly-priced as Baleba – Palace have already boosted their coffers by selling Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, and may sell [Marc Guehi to Liverpool](https://essential.football/liverpool-transfer-news-marc-guehi-crystal-palace/).
But there are reasons to have reservations over Danish midfielder Hjulmand. At 26, Hjulmand has never played for a more prestigious club than Sporting, and does not have experience at the highest level. Additionally, he does not play the same way as Baleba, instead offering a more steady presence. The same goes for Wharton. Even if both were able to adjust to life at Old Trafford, it is hard to see them as like-for-like alternatives.
For that reason, it’s worth holding back in the market lest United repeat the same mistakes before. Often they would end up signing who was available, rather than who they needed. Eric Bailly, admittedly unfortunate with injuries, was said to have been brought in by Jose Mourinho because he believed United were completing the signing – not necessarily because he was a strident fan of his. Over the last decade, there have been countless examples of players who didn’t suit United, or in Angel Di Maria’s case didn’t want to be there at all.
Radamel Falcao was landed on last-minute loan deal while still recovering from an extensive knee injury. Juan Mata was bought from Chelsea because they were willing to sell him rather than because he was what the club needed to help David Moyes. Fred never really showed why he was brought to the club, for all his effort. Antony was not Erik ten Hag’s first choice despite working with him at Ajax.
Conversely, targets that managers _did_ want were often passed over or fumbled by the club’s hierarchy. There were good reasons to think that Pedro, Sergio Ramos, Toby Alderweireld and Cody Gakpo could all have worn United colours, but any opportunity was missed by the executive level.
For that reason, United should hold fire until what they can do aligns with what Amorim wants. He is far from the perfect squad at United, but they appear to be closing in on Senne Lammens so they can have a goalkeeper worthy of the name. Here is an example of a credible move in the market. A player tracked by the club for many months, available for a sensible fee, and better than the current options at the club. If United have to wait to do the same for a midfielder, they will be far better off in the long run.