{"id":509287,"date":"2025-10-18T11:25:18","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T11:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/509287\/"},"modified":"2025-10-18T11:25:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T11:25:18","slug":"manchester-uniteds-dream-midfield-options-after-contract-extension-and-five-deals-done","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/509287\/","title":{"rendered":"Manchester United’s dream midfield options after contract extension and five deals done"},"content":{"rendered":"

Manchester United are in serious need of a midfield overhaul after failing to strengthen the position during the summer transfer window\"CrystalCrystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Manchester United exited the summer transfer window with the fresh attack Ruben Amorim was desperate for.<\/p>\n

However, the combined issues of the cost of this transformation and the time in which it took to do it left United<\/a> with little resources to focus their attention elsewhere. This, of course, was to the detriment of the midfield which remained untouched heading into the 2025\/26 season.<\/p>\n

With the January transfer window<\/a> starting to come into focus, attention is beginning to shift slightly towards what United need to do to bolster their midfield. Completing deals in the mid-season market may be difficult for the Reds, but Amorim<\/a> will be looking to lay the groundwork for the summer.<\/p>\n

So with this in mind, MEN Sport has taken a look at what United’s dream midfield could look like following a complete overhaul.<\/p>\n

Contract extended<\/p>\n

The Manchester Evening News explained this week how Casemiro could stay at the club beyond this season<\/a>. The Brazilian could be handed a new deal, if he agrees to a significant pay cut in the process.<\/p>\n

If the 33-year-old was happy to stay on a lower wage, he would bring vital experience, even if he was not playing as often as he is now.<\/p>\n

\"CasemiroCasemiro celebrates after scoring for Manchester United against Chelsea(Image: AP)Fernandes exit<\/p>\n

United’s captain<\/a> has been endlessly linked with a move to Saudi Arabia. Next summer could be the time that the Reds pull the release cord considering their captain’s age and the money which could be on the table for Fernandes.<\/p>\n

If a Saudi club was to offer \u00a3100m for Fernandes next year, it seems as though United would have to accept. Such a sum would be crucial in rebuilding the Reds’ midfield and represents excellent business considering the midfielder’s value will, sadly, only diminish further as time goes on.<\/p>\n

Mainoo decision<\/p>\n

With Fernandes gone, this would be the ideal time to re-enter negotiations with Kobbie Mainoo<\/a>. The Stockport-born midfielder requested an exit from Old Trafford in the summer window and while that was rejected by Amorim, Mainoo’s playing time has yet to be noticeably improved.<\/p>\n

However, when not competing with the captain for a place in the squad, Mainoo could surely be afforded more playing time and United could bridge the gap on wages too. Keeping the 20-year-old would also prove popular with the fanbase, even if it meant missing out on Financial Fair Play (FFP)<\/a> ‘pure profit’.<\/p>\n

\"KobbieKobbie Mainoo’s current contract at Manchester United expires in 2027(Image: Manchester United via Getty Imag)Two new signings<\/p>\n

Fernandes’ exit would see United<\/a> need to splash the cash to fill gaps. The two signings we would look to make would be Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba. If United could get both deals done, this would be a vast improvement for the Reds.<\/p>\n

Wharton is one of the most eye-catching midfielders in the Premier League. His ability to play as both a ‘6’ and an ‘8’ would help create better squad depth and allow him to play alongside Mainoo on occasion. As for Baleba, while this season has started off slowly for him, there is no doubting that he is a major improvement on United’s defensive midfield both now and for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n

Both men are the calibre of signings that United need to be making to get back to the top.<\/p>\n

Dream midfield options<\/p>\n

Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba, Kobbie Mainoo, Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United<\/a> coverage and analysis.<\/p>\n

Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here<\/strong><\/a> to subscribe.<\/p>\n

You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here<\/strong><\/a> to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.<\/p>\n

And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify<\/strong><\/a> and Apple Podcasts<\/strong><\/a>, and you can also watch along on YouTube<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Manchester United are in serious need of a midfield overhaul after failing to strengthen the position during the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":509288,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,873,117296,11493,393,4884,9816,12243,2465,423,9060,12408,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-509287","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-bruno-fernandes","10":"tag-carlos-baleba","11":"tag-casemiro","12":"tag-england","13":"tag-great-britain","14":"tag-january-transfer-window","15":"tag-kobbie-mainoo","16":"tag-manchester","17":"tag-manchester-united-fc","18":"tag-manchester-united-transfer-news","19":"tag-summer-transfer-window","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115394926085038648","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=509287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509287\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/509288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=509287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=509287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=509287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}