Manchester United have addressed their issues in attack with the signings of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbuemo and Benjamin Sesko.
The Red Devils still need a solid defensive midfielder in Ruben Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 system and hence, they were in pursuit of Brighton’s star midfielder Carlos Baleba this summer.
However, the Cameroonian’s move to Old Trafford may be off citing Brighton’s massive demands for the 21-year-old midfielder.
The Seagulls have valued him at a whopping £100m ($135m) mainly to block offers from the potential suitors. The asking price could be too much for United considering they have spent a major chunk on their forwards.
Therefore, The Sporting News have identified three midfielders who Manchester United can pursue in place of Baleba before the transfer window closes.
Morten Hjulmand (Sporting CP)
Morten Hjulmand could be a perfect player for United as he is more accustomed to Amorim’s system during their time at Sporting.
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While the Denmark international is not a flashy name in the market, he could be the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle for Amorim.
The 26-year-old midfielder has similar traits to Baleba especially on the defensive front and therefore it won’t be any surprise if he becomes the favourite to move to Old Trafford.
Apart from similar defensive traits to the Cameroonian, Hjulmand comes with better passing and is also an exceptional leader which is an added bonus for the Red Devils if the deal materializes.
It is easy to see why the Dane is the best bet for United to feature alongside Bruno Fernandes in the midfield given his per 90 minutes metrics like 6.44 possessions won, 5.59 duels won, 8.39 passes into the final third and 11.02 carries.
Amadou Onana (Aston Villa)
In terms of statistics, Amadou Onana could be the closest player to Baleba available in the market and United were actually interested in the Belgian before his big move to Villa Park from Everton.
The 24-year-old combative midfielder completed his £50m move to Aston Villa last summer and since then he has been one of the key players in Unai Emery’s system. His performances last season helped Villa achieve a top six finish in the Premier League.
Onana has similar passing range to Baleba while the 24-year-old enjoys taking on defenders than his Cameroonian counterpart. He also offers more physicality in the middle which allows him to win much more duels than the Brighton star.
He has averaged 4.17 progressive passes, 30.7 progressive carries, 2.44 possession won, 7.26 duels won, and 3.05 tackles won per 90 minutes.
Overall, the Belgian could be a great signing for United and considering Villa’s PSR constraints, they may allow their engine in midfielder to leave for a much lesser fee.
Lamine Camara (AS Monaco)
Probably the most unexpected name in the list when several reports have linked Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton to Man United.
The England international would be in the same price range of Baleba whereas they could get a gem in Lamine Camara from Monaco for almost half the price.
The Senegalese midfielder is suited to Amorim’s high intensity system as the 21-year-old possesses exceptional defensive and passing traits. He is also an underrated dead-ball specialist.
The youngster moved to Monaco last summer from Metz only for €15m and in a single season he has proven his worth. He has featured in 29 Ligue 1 games last season and returned with two goals and seven assists.
Camara was hailed for his performance for Senegal where he played a crucial role in their 3-1 win over England in an international friendly back in June. He has already made 29 appearances for Senegal while returning with six goals.
According to FBref, he averaged 3.28 shot-creating actions, 5.55 progressive passes, 2.88 tackles won, 1.52 interceptions, and 1.42 blocks per 90 minutes.
While some of his numbers may not be as good as Baleba, Camara is still a talented midfielder who could be a great fix at Old Trafford because of his box-to-box traits plus he could be available at a much economical price than his Cameroonian counterpart.
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