Manchester United recently secured the services of Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount for £55 million following a lengthy round of negotiations.
The Englishman is likely to operate from the central midfield role, and he should be an upgrade on Christian Eriksen with his work rate and creativity.
In our view, the club must invest on another defensive midfielder this summer as they require more quality behind Casemiro ahead of the new season.
Scott McTominay and Fred fared decently when Casemiro was injured last term, but neither have been consistent enough over a long run of matches.
United are already contemplating the departure of Fred, and we won’t be surprised if McTominay also heads for the exit door over the next few weeks.
Hence, the club must sign a second midfielder in the transfer window. In our view, Arsenal star Thomas Partey or Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg won’t be a solution.
Partey and Hojbjerg are assessing their futures at their respective teams, and Paul Ince recently said that United should make a shock approach to sign Partey.
In our opinion, the Ghanaian is clearly not what United require. The 30-year-old has been injury-prone during his time at Arsenal which is a clear warning sign.
The former Atletico man has also been inconsistent in the Gunners shirt. Last season, there was a big drop in his performance levels in the final few months.
This saw manager Mikel Arteta pick Jorginho over him. The midfielder is currently on £200,000-a-week, and may want a pay rise if he were to leave the Gunners.
On top of this, the north London side are likely to demand in excess of £30m. United should resist the prospect of making an approach for Partey this summer.
Meanwhile, Hojbjerg has had a tremendous fitness record since his move to Spurs from Southampton, but we don’t believe he would suit Erik ten Hag’s playing style.
Spurs were guilty of making slow starts during the recent Premier League campaign. Hojbjerg had the tendency to lose possession in key situations for the club.
The 27-year-old was dispossessed on more than 10 occasions per game which is a quite high number.
Casemiro surrendered possession more times than Hojbjerg last term, but the Brazilian showed the desire to track back and win the ball, which is not a strong suit for the Dane.
Hojbjerg will turn 28 next month, and we don’t feel he can make any improvement going forward.
Instead of Partey or Hojbjerg, United should focus on Southampton teenager Romeo Lavia, who could be groomed to become Casemiro’s successor in a couple of seasons.
The Belgian was sublime with his individual displays for the Saints despite their relegation. United are interested in his services, but it will take £50m to prise him away.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com, Capology.com & Sofascore.com
