Man Utd in “face to face talks” to seal new signing

Manchester United’s position as the Premier League’s third-best team was already confirmed heading into Sunday’s 4pm action but that did not matter for Michael Carrick’s men.

The term ‘on the beach’ gets thrown around on the league’s final day but the Red Devils remained professional to swat aside Brighton & Hove Albion with absolute ease, winning 3-0.

At the centre of that victory was, of course, Bruno Fernandes. He broke the assist record and scored on the South Coast as United ended the campaign in style.

One key element of the game was the way in which they won so easily without Casemiro. They made the decision to leave the Brazilian out of the squad; his final game was last weekend at Old Trafford.

It bodes well for life post-Casemiro that they achieved the win so easily but they do need to find a longer-term solution.

Man United in club-to-club talks to seal new signing

With Carrick confirmed as the club’s new manager, attention can now turn to the transfer window. The word is that the new boss has already been working behind the scenes on new arrivals with Jason Wilcox and Co.

United’s shortlist is no secret. At the top of the list of Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson but any chance they have of signing the England midfielder is slim. Rivals Manchester City are at the front of the queue and far more likely to pay the £100m allegedly required to prise him away from the City Ground.

As a result, they have been looking at a number of alternatives, including West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes. Aged 21, he is one of the finest young midfielders in the game. That said, he’s still rather raw.

The same cannot be said of Ederson. A few weeks ago it was revealed that they had already agreed personal terms with the player and his camp.

Now, however, United and Atalanta are in discussions to agree a fee and work out the finer details of the transfer.

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano. Speaking on his YouTube channel on Sunday evening, the reporter said: “We know that Ederson is waiting for Manchester United. There is an agreement already in place between Ederson and United in terms of personal details. He would be more than happy to join. Man United have had face-to-face talks with Atalanta in Italy in the last few days.”

Why Ederson is the proven option Man United need

Last summer, there was a clear directive to bolster Ruben Amorim’s team. To their credit, the hierarchy did a really good job 12 months ago.

In Senne Lammens, they signed a relatively unproven goalkeeper but he has proven to be a sterling replacement for the walking mistake that was Andre Onana.

It was at the top end of the pitch where the most impressive work was done, however. The marquee addition of a year ago was undoubtedly Bryan Mbeumo.

This was a Sir Alex Ferguson deal if there ever was one. Fergie loved signing players from within the Premier League; it was a staple of his success at Old Trafford.

Mbeumo arrived in Manchester off the back of a 20-goal season for Brentford and was joined by Matheus Cunha, another proven Premier League talent.

While the Brazilian did not quite set the division alive in the same fashion as his fellow forward, he did enjoy a thrilling campaign with Wolves, scoring 15 times in the top-flight.

You may be wondering why this relates to Ederson? Well, the crucial thing is that they are all proven. They all know their games inside and out.

For years, United’s recruitment has been called into question. They were signing unproven players like Antony, like Joshua Zirkzee, like Rasmus Hojlund. It simply didn’t go well.

Yet, last summer marked a return to common sense in the transfer window. Sign proven players and Premier League ones, in particular, and you cut out a lengthy acclimatisation period.

Well, Ederson may not tick the Premier League box but aged 26, he is proven. He’s currently the same age as Mbeumo and Cunha. That counts for something.

On that basis, he’d be a particularly valuable signing, particularly as they search for a Casemiro replacement. Described as “the strongest defensive midfielder in the world” by Italian football content creator Damiano Er Faina, he’s been fine-tuning his skillset in Serie A for a number of years now and looks tailor-made for English football.

The Brazilian ranks in the top 13% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for ground duels won with 2.29 per 90. He also ranks among the best 14% of positionally similar players for progressive carries with 1.57 per 90.

In that regard, he’d certainly offer more energy than Casemiro ever could at the base of Carrick’s midfield. The club’s current defensive midfielder won 2.32 ground duels per 90 this season, only a fraction more than Ederson but he did only register 0.35 progressive carries. It’s night and day as far as that metric is concerned.

Some may be concerned that Ederson has not played in England before but this is no Manuel Ugarte; this is a player who’s in his prime and ready to dominate the Premier League just as Mbeumo and Cunha have done in United red.