Manchester United are reportedly considering a bid to sign Tyler Adams from Bournemouth, and this isn’t a move fans should turn their noses up at.
This summer’s midfield rebuild at Manchester United hasn’t quite been as grand and expensive as expected. United first signed Andrey Santos for £48m, a brilliant deal for a player severely undervalued at Chelsea.
Then, United added Youri Tielemans for just £35m, which could actually end up being the bargain of the summer.
£83m spent on two midfielders, and United are now linked with another shrewd move for Tyler Adams. The American won’t be a signing United supporters are thrilled by, but it is what Michael Carrick’s midfield needs.
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Tyler Adams is the profile Manchester United needs in midfield
It has been reported that United are keen on signing Adams and have even begun considering a bid for the USA international, which could be worth £35m.
Adams is a bit of a boring signing; he won’t pull up roots or set the league alight if he joined United. But that is what Kobbie Mainoo, Youri Tielemans, and Andrey Santos are all for. Adams would be signed as the man to do the dirty work and unglamorous tasks in midfield.
He isn’t supposed to be a player that supporters are rejoicing over bringing to the club, but that doesn’t make it a bad move.
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This is because Adams would be an addition loved by his teammates, particularly his potential midfield partners: Mainoo, Tielemans, and Santos. Adams would do the heavy lifting for these players, who are all more exciting on the ball than the Bournemouth man – not that Adams is bad on the ball.
To see the importance of Adams, we only have to look at how he functioned alongside Alex Scott last season. With Scott and Mainoo likened to being similar players, Adams could be similarly beneficial for United.
So, despite it not being the big signing United fans feel they were promised, Adams is a signing worth being happy about should it go through. He would round out a really sensible midfield rebuild, which leaves plenty of budget for other positions.
Adams wouldn’t be starting every game, but he would be a piece to plug in during certain game states and against certain opposition where a bit more steel is needed in midfield. As what would effectively be the Manuel Ugarte replacement, he is a good addition.
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Ineos will also like the marketing opportunities with Tyler Adams
Decisions over who should be signed must first and foremost be based on who brings the most on the field; it doesn’t matter how expensive or big a name it is. If Tielemans had cost £70m, fans would be more open to the Adams deal.
But signing Adams also comes with a commercial benefit for United, that being that he is American.
Football in America is an untapped market, and by signing one of their national team’s biggest and best players, United could benefit in terms of marketing in the USA, fanbase growth, and other things that come with signing a player from a country like that.
It worked with Park Ji-sung in South Korea and Javier Hernandez in Mexico, so it can also work with Adams.
This wouldn’t be the main benefit of signing him, but it would be a welcome positive.
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