Manchester United have started the transfer window well, securing the acquisition of Matheus Cunha and looking to bring Bryan Mbeumo across the line as well. And while the attack is in need of major improvement, United will not be able to get out of the 15th-place hole unless they prioritise the midfield.
United need a lot of help.
With an embarrassing loss to Tottenham in the Europa League Final and a bottom-five finish in the Premier League, there is not much to be proud of in the last year. But as we have seen time and time again, acquiring timely and talented players is often the best remedy to a slump.
The one position Man United can’t afford to mess up again
And United have started well. Getting Cunha and potentially Mbeumo, two of the best attacking players in the league, is a good first step. But as the saying goes, games are won and lost in the midfield.
This is particularly true in Amorim's two-man midfield. With wingbacks pushed high and wide, the onus is on the midfield to cover a lot of the pitch while being the connective glue that brings the attack into the game.
Currently, only Bruno, Mainoo, and Casemiro have shown adequate ability in the squad to play in these positions, and even they have struggled. The midfield pair must be creative, combative, and athletic enough to stifle opposition movement and encourage attack. It is for this reason that United must go into the transfer market with the explicit need to target midfielders.
Profiling a midfielder for Amorim is quite difficult, but not impossible. They need to be a jack-of-all-trades kind of player who is able to perform in a variety of places on the pitch. Two that come to mind immediately are Aston Villa's duo of Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana. Both players are under 25 years old and have shown their capabilities in the Premier League. With Villa's PSR issues and rumored interest in Garnacho, perhaps a swap of Onana/Kamara for Garnacho could make quite a bit of sense.
The nuclear option would be targeting arguably the best midfielder in the league: Brighton's Carlos Baleba. Baleba is the quintessential modern center midfielder. The Cameroonian international can cover for the back line, evade pressure in buildup, and be a goal and playmaking threat. He is tailor-made for Amorim's (and honestly any) system. But with a price tag that could reach $100 millon, perhaps he is an option for 2026.
The last and most realistic option is Middlesbrough's Hayden Hackney. Hackney is the type of player that you just cannot hate. With his immense on-ball ability and ruggedness forged in the Championship, he seems primed to make the leap to the Prem. He is the kind of player who one could play in the "10" position or drop back deeper to rotate with Bruno. The championship has been a hotbed for talent forever now, and it is time that United takes a chance.
With the abundance of all kinds of midfield options, it would be unwise for United to overlook the midfield again, particularly with the strain that the 3-4-3 system brings.