Manchester United spent big on the attack last summer and Gary Neville has urged them to bolster their midfield this time round with two new arrivals on his wishlist
Gary Neville has cited the need for new midfielders at Man Utd
Gary Neville has cited the need for new midfielders at Man Utd(Image: (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images))
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Manchester United's priority in the summer transfer market has to be adding quality to their midfield, with Gary Neville adamant they need a player in the mould of Michael Carrick.
The Red Devils have enjoyed a renaissance since sacking Ruben Amorim in January and are looking set for a return to the Champions League. That will aid their summer recruitment, which will again be key if they want to continue taking forward strides.
Last summer they addressed issues in the final third, spending over £200million on Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko. The trio have proved crucial in the team's success and Neville insists midfield needs to be the next area they address.
Casemiro announced in January that he will leave when his contract expires, whilst doubts persist over other options. Kobbie Mainoo is talented but raw and Neville wants to see two players signed - one in the ilk of current manager Carrick, who spent 12 years in Manchester and made over 450 appearances.
He said on his podcast: "The centre of midfield is a problem. Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro are doing a great job right now for Michael Carrick. However, every Manchester United fan in this stadium know that is going to be nowhere near enough when they start playing in the Champions League next season.
"It is more than likely they will [qualify] and when they play a bit further in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup and they are playing in the Champions League they are going to need three or four really good midfield players. At the moment you've got Mainoo, a midfield player you can buy into, but you can't really look at any of the others and think that is going to work.
"Casemiro is leaving and I think Manuel Ugarte will leave. They need two really good central midfield players. Probably one that's more positional, like a Michael Carrick-type, and one that's more of a destroyer. The back needs looking at but midfield would be the real focus in the summer transfer window."
Casemiro
Casemiro is set to leave at the end of the season(Image: Getty Images)
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United were keen on adding a midfielder last summer, but ultimately ran out of funds after their forward line signings. Carlos Baleba was linked, but Brighton were seeking £100m if they were to let him leave. Several other young English midfielder have been touted as targets.
Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson and Crystal Palace ace Adam Wharton are both on their shortlist. They are on England's radar and an impressive World Cup could see their stock skyrocket. The Red Devils are also looking at younger prospects such as Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi and Olympiakos' Christos Mouzakitis.
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