With Carrick edging closer to the permanent role at Old Trafford, United’s pursuit of up to three new midfielders this summer reflects a club finally thinking beyond the short term.
Manchester United are not behaving like a club with an interim manager.
Since Michael Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim at the beginning of January, the former United midfielder has won ten of his first 15 league fixtures, beaten Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Chelsea, and guided the club back into the Champions League with a couple of matches still to play.
The season’s final home game against Nottingham Forest now doubles as something close to a coronation. The only question is whether INEOS will confirm what everybody can see: that Carrick is the right person for this job.
The transfer activity building quietly in the background suggests the answer is already yes. INEOS is not assembling a shortlist of three midfielders, a left back and a striker for a caretaker. This is planning for a cycle, and Carrick’s fingerprints are on the brief.
The midfield problem Carrick inherited and how he is trying to solve it
The starting point is Casemiro’s departure. The Brazilian’s contract expires in June, and there is no extension being offered. Manuel Ugarte, signed to succeed him from Paris Saint-Germain less than two years ago, has not convinced, and his exit from Old Trafford is increasingly likely should a suitable buyer emerge. That leaves United potentially needing two holding or box-to-box midfielders before the Champions League campaign begins next autumn.
United have their sights set on Sandro Tonali as one of the centrepieces of that rebuild. Reports from Italian media suggest the club has made it clear internally that they are ready to submit a suitable offer for the Newcastle midfielder, with the 26-year-old seen as the profile Carrick wants: technically refined, intensely competitive, and already proven in the Premier League.
Speaking to Gambling.com, whose independent guide to Bet365 Casino and broader operator analysis reaches millions of UK readers, one football analyst offered some grounded context: “Tonali averaged more than 70 touches per 90 in his best Newcastle stretches this season and covered the kind of ground Casemiro stopped covering two years ago. The profile suits Carrick’s system precisely, but the £100 million asking price means United have to make hard choices elsewhere in the window.”
The obstacle is straightforward. Newcastle remain unwilling to entertain offers, with Tonali still central to their long-term plans, which means any deal would likely cost significantly more than United’s planned budget for the position. Tonali himself has been linked with a return to Serie A, with Juventus tracking him and his preference for Italian football documented across multiple credible sources. However, a more recent update has suggested Tonali does want to remain in the Premier League, with Old Trafford identified as his preferred destination if he moves at all.
The alternatives and what they reveal about Carrick’s system
United have not put all of their eggs in the Tonali basket, and the names alongside him on their list illuminate what Carrick wants structurally. Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba have all been tracked, alongside informal dialogue with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ João Gomes and West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes.
Anderson has attracted the most consistent noise. The Nottingham Forest midfielder leads many internal assessments of United’s options, with analysis suggesting his profile could function similarly to Declan Rice’s role at Arsenal, complementing Kobbie Mainoo rather than competing with him.
Forest’s possible relegation, should it be confirmed before the window opens, could bring his valuation down from the £100 million territory it might otherwise command. Wharton offers something different: a composed, possession-orientated operator who has drawn genuine praise for his reading of the game at Crystal Palace this season.
A former Premier League midfielder, speaking independently, noted: “Wharton does not look like a player who just turned 22. He is positioning himself like someone who has played 200 top-flight games. The range of his passing is what sets him apart from the other names on United’s list, and he brings less physical risk at that price.”
Reports suggest Palace have a gentleman’s agreement in place that would allow him to leave for around £65 million, which would represent meaningful value given his age and ceiling.
What Carrick’s rebuild means for next season
Since being appointed on 13 January, no club has accumulated more Premier League points than United. The Champions League place is secure, and the expectation from those close to the club’s hierarchy is that Carrick will receive a permanent contract along with his backroom staff of Steve Holland, Jonathan Woodgate, Jonny Evans and Travis Binnion.
Kobbie Mainoo’s new contract, which runs to June 2031, carries weight beyond its commercial terms. Mainoo publicly backed Carrick for the long-term role, a signal that the academy core already views stability as part of the project rather than something to be negotiated around.
Carrick‘s own language has shifted too. He said Champions League qualification should be used as a springboard. He said the United manager’s job “feels natural.” Neither line sounds like someone preparing his exit speech.
For supporters who spent the past two years watching the club burn through tactical systems and personnel without coherence, that stability has tangible value. United’s summer will tell them whether INEOS has finally understood the same.
A midfield built around Tonali or Anderson alongside Mainoo, with Wharton providing cover, would give Carrick the engine his brand of pressing football demands. That project does not begin in January. It has already started.
