Manchester United desperately needed to hit the rebuild button this summer after a catastrophic 2024/25 season.
Indeed, the stale Red Devils slumped to a horrendous 15th place in the Premier League come the end of the 38-game slog, on top of also failing to secure a last-minute spot in Europe by coming up short in the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
Therefore, this summer does feel as if it’s make-or-break territory for Ruben Amorim in the constantly pressurised Red Devils hot-seat, with the Portuguese manager aiming to not sink under all the strain by landing some top talents to help his underperforming team push on next season.
Man Utd in talks to land £51m midfielder
Matheus Cunha has already joined the building, with Bryan Mbeumo looking likely to be the next high-profile capture.
Cunha’s capture certainly caught the eye, but Mbeumo would no doubt be the biggest statement here, considering he scored 20 goals last season for Brentford.
Yet, as far as rumours go, another excellent addition might soon be entering the developing United camp in the midfield areas.
Indeed, according to reports in Italy, United and Atalanta are currently locked in negotiations over the Red Devils landing Ederson from the Serie A titans.
It’s stated that Amorim and Co. were interested in the energetic Brazilian last summer when offering up a fee around £42m, but Atalanta were looking for an offer nearer to the £51m region to consider parting ways.
Now, they could make this move a reality as talks continue, with it also being rumoured earlier in the hectic transfer window that Liverpool were intrigued by the possibility of landing the 25-year-old to bolster their own midfield department.
The Premier League strugglers aren’t blessed with depth in the middle of the park either, with both Christian Eriksen and Casemiro 33 years of age, meaning a new, fresh addition centrally would definitely boost Amorim’s side, away from just the high-profile addition of Cunha.
How Ederson can be United’s new McTominay
Sealing a move for Ederson could mean United can finally get over the sad exit of Scott McTominay, with the lively South American a similar style of performer to the departed Scotsman, having also set Serie A alight with many standout performances.
Nobody would have anticipated the sharp rise McTominay would undergo when swapping his boyhood club for Antonio Conte’s Napoli last summer.
Indeed, just a season into his stay in Naples, the 61-time Scotland international steered Conte’s men to a triumphant Serie A title success.
He scored a sublime 12 goals and posted six assists in league action. Amazingly, he had only amassed seven more goals than this stunning amount when regularly plying his trade in the Premier League, even from a far greater tally of 178 clashes.
Ederson didn’t quite have a similarly impactful season for The Black and Blues, but he has shown over three seasons now in Bergamo a hunger to be involved in all phases of play, just like McTominay.
From 139 games and counting in the heart of the Atalanta midfield, the £51m “machine” – as he’s been labelled in the past by journalist Carlo Garganese – has collected 13 goals and four assists, with his relentless desire to get stuck in for his team’s cause also baring clear similarities to the ex-United academy product.
|
Ederson’s Serie A numbers (24/25) |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat (* = per game) |
Ederson |
|
Games played |
37 |
|
Goals scored |
4 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Touches* |
65.9 |
|
Accurate passes* |
45.5 (87%) |
|
Key passes* |
1.1 |
|
Big chances created |
6 |
|
Ball recoveries* |
5.0 |
|
Total duels won* |
4.9 |
|
Stats by Sofascore |
|
Glancing at the table above, Ederson actually beats McTominay when it comes to accurate passes per league clash in Serie A at 45.5 per clash compared to the Scotsman’s lesser 22.7, before you even begin to consider the Brazilian’s aggressiveness means he trumps McTominay’s ball recovery numbers too at five per match, next to his counterpart’s lower 4.2
Further heralded as “strong” by football journalist Tim Vickery in what he can offer in the midfield spots, this feels like it could be a golden capture on United’s end as they hunt down a similar star to McTominay.
United will have to hit the ground running next season to silence their loud naysayers, and with Ederson’s potential arrival onto the scene, Amorim’s options continue to look stronger and stronger all across the pitch.
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