'Honestly, to God' - Man United urged by former coach to sign £60m-rated 'phenomenal' midfielder
Man United have been strongly linked to signing Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba since the summer.
Man United have several weaknesses so far this season, which was evident in their last game against Brentford, when they lost 3-1 over the weekend. The Red Devils were overrun in the middle of the park, and they have been all season long, showing the holding midfield role to be a big weakness.
United wanted to sign Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba in the summer transfer window, and the player was keen on the move. However, Brighton priced him at over £100m, a figure that United were never going to match, so the possibility of a deal faded away.
It is understood that United remain interested in Baleba, but they have been linked to other alternatives instead. The likes of Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Al-Hilal’s Ruben Neves have all been linked in recent weeks, but which one should United target?
Ex-United coach says the club should sign Wharton
Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton is a midfielder in demand. He has been priced at around £60m by the Eagles, who are currently third in the Premier League table, after beating Liverpool last weekend.
United are reportedly keen on the Palace star, and former Red Devils coach under Alex Ferguson, Rene Meulensteen, says that they should have signed him a long time ago. Meulensteen said on the No Tippy Tappy Podcast: “I kept saying it, and I said it off-air before to you as well as I absolutely rate him so highly, and that’s one of the players that I would have brought into Manchester United directly.
“Adam Wharton. Honestly, to God. What I like about Wharton is, honestly, you look at him, you analyse him. His intention is always to play forward, and he’s a good ball retainer, but he knows when to put a bit of a bit of juice to his pass, you know, breaking the lines a little bit of disguise, you know. A phenomenal player, honestly.”
Man United face Premier League competition to sign Wharton
United could opt to make a move for Wharton in the January transfer window, however, they may not be the only club going after the 21-year-old. Real Madrid have formerly scouted Wharton and in past seasons, Man City have also been credited with interest.
However, it seems that the biggest competition will come from Liverpool, as recent reports have linked the Reds to the Palace midfielder. It is understood that Liverpool and Newcastle United have ‘entered the race’ to sign Wharton, who, according to reports, was in contact with Man United over the summer.
The biggest issue is that Crystal Palace already sold Eberechi Eze, and look set to lose Marc Guehi in the near future, so they will likely be very reluctant to sell Wharton too, because that involves losing the entire spine of Oliver Glasner’s side.