Manchester United are pushing to sign new midfielders in the summer transfer window, and they already have a lengthy list of targets.

Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes were two players who made United’s shortlist for the summer transfer window, but they have joined Manchester City and Tottenham, respectively.

The Red Devils do have a number of alternatives, and they will be desperate not to miss out on any more key targets.

It’s imperative that United bring in at least two midfielders this summer, with Manuel Ugarte suffering a serious injury and Casemiro leaving the club.

New names are being linked with the move to Old Trafford every single week, and it remains to be seen who is going to be their priority transfer.

Man Utd hold midfielder talks

According to David Ornstein earlier this week, Manchester United have opened talks to sign Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos in the summer transfer window.

Chelsea won’t stand in Santos’ way if he does want to make the move to Old Trafford and a deal suits all parties involved.

United have also held talks to sign Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott.

The Cherries are hoping to tie him down to a new contract, but United have asked the question at least as they aim to bring in midfield reinforcements.

Scott, who has been described as ‘unbelievable’, is entering the final two years of his contract at Bournemouth, but he’s a key name on United’s list.

Scott has gone to a new level since joining Bournemouth and has racked up plenty of Premier League experience already. There’s no doubt he would be a better option for the club than Santos.

Scott could explode under Carrick

via Reuters

Scott is the type of midfielder who could explode under Michael Carrick at Manchester United.

Carrick has already shown he can get the best out of midfielders, with Kobbie Mainoo going to the next level under him in the second half of the season.

Whether Scott and Mainoo would blend well together remains to be seen, but United do need multiple midfielders this summer.

Scott flourishes in a high-paced environment, as we saw under Andoni Iraola, so there’s little reason why he wouldn’t flourish at United.

United need to be going all out for Scott, especially over a player like Santos.

Michael Owen has called out England fans for their ‘nonsense’ reaction to the team’s World Cup win over Mexico in a scathing critique this week. The Three Lions overcame pre-match concerns about playing in intense heat, at high altitude and against an in-form host nation backed by a partisan crowd to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory.

The result is by far the most significant of Thomas Tuchel’s international management career so far and could yet prove to be one of England’s most memorable World Cup performances in recent history. Jude Bellingham scored twice, and although England played almost the entire second half with 10 men after Jarell Quansah was sent off, they dug deep and held on, with Harry Kane also scoring from the penalty spot.

After a lethargic group-stage campaign and a fortunate late turnaround against tournament debutants DR Congo in the Round of 32, the optimism that so often surrounds England’s attempts to end their 60-year trophy drought has gathered momentum once again. But not everyone is convinced it should be that way.

Michael Owen’s Brutal Critique of England Fans’ Reaction to Mexico Win

REUTERS/Chris Radburn

“They stuck together. They found a way. That takes character, and it will only strengthen the belief within the squad. Fans are right to be proud of what they saw,’ Owen wrote in the Daily Mail.

Paul Childs via Reuters

He continued: “Real bravery is wanting the ball when 80,000 people are willing you to make a mistake. It’s showing for possession when everyone else is hiding. It’s taking the ball off your mate when he’s in trouble, knowing that if you lose it you’ll be the one criticised.

“That’s football bravery and that’s what England need more of, if they’re going to win this World Cup. If, against France, Spain or Argentina, England play like they did versus Mexico, we’ll get our backsides kicked.”

Positives Far Outweigh Reasons to be Cautious After Mexico Showing

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Whatever Owen has to say about the reaction to England’s win is countered by overwhelming positives to take from it. At the Azteca Stadium, although Bellingham and Kane were the scorers again, the Three Lions looked far more like a complete entity than one defined by individual brilliance.

That, and the ability to keep grinding out results in any environment, will serve them well long-term. After all, the Gareth Southgate sides of just a few years ago used to do the same thing to get to back-to-back European Championship finals – the big difference now, though, is that while the feel-good factor and turgid-but-effective style is helping them progress, they now have a manager with a brilliant track record in finals to get them over the line.

Of course, Mexico pale in ability compared to the likes of France and Spain, but there’s certainly no reason to be looking too deep into the negatives of a crucial win from an outsiders’ perspective – leave that to Tuchel, who is now preparing for a quarter-final with Norway.

Tottenham are said to be working on a deal to snap up a promising young talent as their busy summer continues. Spurs have already put together a record transfer window, spending more than £230million, and they are not yet done.

Roberto De Zerbi is being given the chance to overhaul his squad, but it will come with the price of being expected to challenge for Europe, even after back-to-back bottom half finishes from Spurs.

But as Tottenham continue to be one of the most active clubs in Europe in this transfer window, it’s not all glitz, glamour and headline-making deals.

Spurs now chasing Wolves talent

Spurs are always working behind the scenes to try to recruit talented players at a young age, and they have a rich history of spotting top talent. The latest star in the making, they hope, will be Wolves starlet Kwasi Senyah, who is a 16-year-old midfielder.

According to Paul O’Keefe, Spurs are closing in on a deal. He posted on X: “Spurs advancing on a deal for Kwasi Senyah. Highly rated defensive midfielder currently playing for the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth.”

Senyah is an England under-16s international, and he has been impressing for club and country in the youth age groups, having joined Wolves from Coventry City back in 2024.

The youngster has played ahead of his age group in the Premier League under-18s, making 19 appearances, and he has also been in Premier League 2 squads, although he is yet to feature in the competition, which is largely for under-21s players.

Senyah is reportedly being promised a professional deal with Spurs, and a deal appears to be progressing.

Senyah, who is also eligible to represent Ghana, largely operates in the holding midfield role, but he can also play in a more advanced role.

The importance of recruiting youth has increased

Top clubs have always done a job of recruiting the country’s best talent, and in truth, the rules encourage it. Category 1 clubs can poach players from category 2 and below academies on the cheap, with big clubs favoured.

Nevertheless, the importance of recruiting young is now that much more important due to the Financial Fair Play rules that make it difficult for clubs to spend big money over consecutive years. That puts pressure on players to get at least some of their talent from their academy, and beyond saving money, it helps keep clubs in the green with those Profit and Sustainability rules. In fact, even developing talent from a young age and selling those players does the trick, given the pure profit contributes the most to the profit column.