Manchester United have suffered a major setback with Manuel Ugarte sustaining a serious knee injury on World Cup duty for Uruguay against Spain on Friday.
The 25-year-old has been a backup midfielder for the Red Devils over the past year, and there has been speculation that the club could seek to offload him this summer.
Unfortunately, that is no longer on the cards. The 25-year-old suffered an anterior cruciate ligament knee injury on World Cup duty and could be ruled out for an entire year.
United recently sealed a verbal agreement to land Atalanta midfielder Ederson, and the club’s hierarchy are now pushing to sign West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes.
A third midfielder is dependent on Ugarte’s departure, but the club could now spend on another recruit to compensate for the Uruguayan’s long-term injury absence.
In our view, United must look into a deal for Roma’s Manu Kone irrespective of Fernandes’ pursuit.
The Frenchman has been one of the Serie A’s best-performing midfielders. He had a terrific league campaign with Roma as they qualified for the Champions League with a third-placed finish.
Kone had a passing accuracy of 90 percent in the Italian top-flight last term. He also won five duels and two tackles per game with an average of more than four recoveries.
The former Borussia Mönchengladbach man can operate in the number six and number eight roles and would be a good signing, given the affordable £39 million price tag.
Atletico Madrid have expressed an interest in the World Cup star, but the midfielder considers a move to the Premier League as a ‘huge personal challenge‘ for his playing career.
Arsenal are said to be Kone’s preferred destination, but the opportunity to play in the English top-flight with United should be another lucrative prospect for the talented ace.
With United back in the Champions League, they will need to balance their workload among midfielders.
With Casemiro leaving (free transfer) and Ugarte injured, we believe the club need four top-class central midfielders next season with extra depth coming through the academy.
We are considering Mason Mount as a backup for Bruno Fernandes for the number 10 position.
Reputed journalist Andy Mitten recently said that academy midfielder Tyler Fletcher is considered better prepared to break into the first team next season than Chido Obi and Sekou Kone.
Tyler did not get much exposure last season compared to his twin brother, Jack, but he could be a player to watch, with manager Michael Carrick prepared to trust the academy.
Stats from Sofascore.com
