What signings are needed this summer?
- Published
Manchester United's recruitment last summer was excellent.
Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens have all made a positive contribution.
This summer needs to be just as good.
For a start, United need to sign at least two, possibly three, central midfielders.
They have been linked with several players including Brighton's Carlos Baleba – who they were keen to sign last summer and may be available this time for substantially less than the £100m fee being bandied around 12 months ago.
Then there is Ederson from Atalanta, Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton, Bournemouth duo Tyler Adams and Alex Scott, Mateus Fernandes from West Ham and Aurelien Tchouameni, who was involved in that huge bust-up with Real Madrid team-mate Federico Valverde.
At the top of the list in England's Elliot Anderson, who for the second time this season was outstanding against United for Nottingham Forest.
It was Anderson who was the supplier for Morato's equaliser just as it was Anderson who was rampaging through the home midfield in the first half.
It did appear Forest boss Vitor Pereira was damning the 23-year-old with faint praise when he reacted to a question about Anderson's performance by stating it came "in an open game".
However, Pereira's other words left no doubt.
"He has the talent to be one of the top of the top," he said.
"He can score more goals and take a little bit more risk in the last third because he has a very good shot.
"It depends on the system. If we give him total freedom to build the play, he can do everything. But we are playing with two midfielders, which is a system that doesn't give him total freedom to create.
"He needs to understand when the other one loses their position, he cannot, but he has a lot of talent. He is young and will fly with big wings."
In addition to central midfield, Carrick needs a left-sided player, presumably in defence to support Luke Shaw given Patrick Dorgu, signed as a wing-back, is seen as more of an attacking player than a defender.
United may also need cover for Lammens in goal and Sesko in attack.
