Manchester United currently owns a head coach who used to be a world-class midfielder to directly lead the midfield reform. Michael Carrick started his reign by prioritizing upgrading the area that was considered the team's weakness.
Carrick's first signing was Andrey Santos with an initial fee of 48 million pounds. The next name is Youri Tielemans with a price of about 35 million pounds. Previously, Ederson was very close to Old Trafford, but the deal broke down after the Brazilian midfielder failed the medical examination.
The process of rebuilding Man United's midfield has therefore also changed significantly. Top targets such as Elliot Anderson, Mateus Fernandes or Aurelien Tchouameni cannot land at Old Trafford. Tchouameni even extended his contract with Real Madrid.
That makes many opinions believe that Man United must shift to more feasible financial options. After many years of spending heavily in the transfer market, the Old Trafford team now has to carefully consider each investment. Last summer, they spent heavily to strengthen the attack, and this summer the focus shifted to midfielders with prices from 30 to 50 million pounds.
The total cost for Santos and Tielemans is about 85 million pounds, equivalent to the amount Tottenham spent to recruit Mateus Fernandes separately. Even with the addition of Ederson, Man United's investment is still only slightly higher than the 116 million pounds that Man City spent to bring Elliot Anderson to the Etihad stadium.
In the context that the plan to build a new stadium worth 2 billion pounds is still being promoted, the budget for the squad seems to be under more pressure. Man United cannot sell Manuel Ugarte due to injury at the World Cup, Barcelona did not activate the buyout clause for Marcus Rashford, and Andre Onana only left the team on loan. These deals have not improved the club's transfer revenue.
Tielemans is considered a reasonable contract. The release clause helps Man United own an experienced midfielder at a not too high price in the context of the market increasingly being pushed up. However, the Belgian midfielder is 29 years old, meaning the resale value in the future is not much.
However, Tielemans' performance at Aston Villa shows that he is still capable of making a difference. The Belgian midfielder made a great contribution to helping the team win the Europa League title and was once voted the Club's Player of the Season.
Meanwhile, Santos represents the direction of investment in the future. Although not the number one choice at Chelsea last season, the Brazilian midfielder impressed with his accurate passes and the ability to make forward passes. Man United's coaching staff believes that this young player still has a lot of potential to develop.
However, the midfield of the "Red Devils" is still not complete. Casemiro does not have a true replacement, while Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo are both more suitable when playing alongside a true defensive midfielder. This may make Santos have to take on a larger role than expected if the team does not add more personnel.
After 12 years and 464 appearances in Man United's colors, Carrick clearly understands the standards for a midfielder at Old Trafford. The challenge for Tielemans, Santos and the next rookies is not only to adapt to the new system, but also to prove they are capable enough to become the foundation for the revival of the "Red Devils".
