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RUBEN AMORIM GREENLIGHTS MASSIVE £200M MAN UTD TRANSFER MASTERSTROKE

Man Utd are prioritising a £200m double midfield swoop for Brighton's Carlos Baleba and Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson to solve their long-standing midfield imbalance under Ruben Amorim.

Ruben Amorim greenlights massive £200m Man Utd transfer masterstroke
Amorim cashes in - Image via Manchester United

Manchester United is still having trouble settling into the season, despite its best attempts to turn things around. Following their worst season in recent memory, the Red Devils shelled out over £200million in the summer on Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko in an attempt to improve Ruben Amorim's forward line.

But even though one significant issue has been resolved, this campaign has brought up another long-standing difficulty. United continue to be troubled by an uneven midfield that is frequently overrun by inferior teams.

Club executives and Amorim are well aware of the necessity of investing in central midfield, as was previously stated. Additionally, the Red Devils plan to prioritise two acquisitions during the upcoming summer transfer window as part of their long-term rebuilding strategy.

Carlos Baleba is one name that keeps coming up. After an inquiry, the 21-year-old Brighton midfielder was strongly connected to a move to Old Trafford last summer. However, Brighton finally rejected United's interest in the player.

It is believed that despite Brighton's exorbitant asking price of almost £100 million, Amorim is still very interested in the Cameroon international, Baleba. You could say that is a price worth paying.

Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest, another prodigy on United's radar, is priced between £100 million and £120 million. After his impressive performances for Forest and the England national team, the versatile midfielder—who can play as a No. 6 or as a roaming midfielder—has drawn a lot of attention.

Amorim has already put Anderson on their watchlist as one of the best talents in English football. The England star was hailed as a "very good player" by the Portuguese manager before their game against Forest this season. It appears that appreciation has now evolved into actual interest.

According to Sky Germany, the 23-year-old has no release clause, which gives Forest significant negotiating leverage. The Red Devils are reportedly willing to make every effort to get his services, though.

Although some may object to paying £200 million for both players, it is unquestionably a necessary investment. Compared to his existing alternatives, they would give Amorim far greater stability and balance in the middle of the pitch and serve as the team's midfield backbone for years to come.

This season, the Portuguese manager has been obliged to use Bruno Fernandes in a deeper midfield role inside his 3-4-2-1 system, pairing him with either the unimpressive Manuel Ugarte or the ageing Casemiro. In that position, the United captain’s defensive discipline and focus have occasionally been found wanting, with opposition sides capitalising to destructive effect.

By bringing in Anderson and Baleba, Fernandes would be able to return to his preferred position as one of the attacking playmakers working behind the striker, sharing the field with players like Cunha. The 31-year-old Portugal international has probably already given his finest performances while wearing a United shirt, so cutting back on his playing time could help the team and player in the future.

The playmaker, who almost joined Saudi Arabian team Al Hilal during the summer transfer window but turned down their attractive offer, might also be sold. United might be prudent to accept such a high price to finance their twin midfield swoop if they return with a bid of around £70 million.

Beyond their midfield issues, United may target Daniel Munoz, the right wing-back for Crystal Palace. Since joining from Belgian team Genk in 2024, the Colombian has made an impression at Selhurst Park. He recently acknowledged that wearing the renowned Red Devils shirt would be a "dream."

Even though Munoz has a deal with Palace through 2028, he seems to be considering his next move. He acknowledged, though, that he does not have any "solid information" that United or his other top targets, Barcelona, PSG, and Real Madrid, are actually interested in signing him.

His attributes would undoubtedly make him an asset to Amorim's team. The 29-year-old has made 81 Eagles appearances and scored eight goals. In addition to helping the team win the FA Cup and Community Shield, his unwavering work ethic and offensive skills made him a deserving successor to Diogo Dalot.

EX-CAPTAIN NEVILLE CLAIMS SUBSTITUTIONS MADE MANCHESTER UNITED "WORSE" AGAINST WOLVES

Gary Neville slams Ruben Amorim’s "weird" substitutions and tactical shifts after Manchester United's 1-1 draw with bottom-side Wolves.

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Was the halftime substitution a tactical error or an injury?

Gary Neville said that the performance of Manchester United in their match against winless Wolves was ‘the baddest of the bad.’

United would have moved fourth in the league with a win at Old Trafford last night, although Wolves, who had two points in 18 games before kickoff, ended their record of 11 straight losses with a 1-1 draw.

Amorim’s team had been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by a League Two team, Grimsby, in August, but Neville was convinced that United had hit rock bottom in a game that could have been even more one-sided were it not for two important saves by Senne Lammens.

“That was the baddest of the bad," the former United captain declared on the Gary Neville podcast.

“They weren’t just booed off at the final whistle. The fans waited in the stadium to continue to boo them. They’ve gone backwards.”

United had won at Newcastle 1-0 on Boxing Day, despite being plagued by an injury list that already lacked skipper Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, and Matthijs de Ligt, as well as three players on African Cup of Nations duty.

But they remained flat right from the first whistle, and the header by Ladislav Krejci just before the half bottled Joshua Zirkzee's deflected shot.

Amorim’s formation choice of 3-4-3 was brought into focus once more as the Portuguese opted to go back to his preferred tactic of four at the back against Newcastle.

“This isn’t right. I’ve watched enough of United over the last five or six weeks to know what looks right and what isn’t right,” Neville had declared 20 minutes into his commentary on Sky Sports.

“Because, when I see that we go back (to three at the back) after five minutes tonight, I’m thinking, no, Ruben, why have you done that?

"The manager has to look at that and think, I got that wrong. I complicated it."

However, Amorim decided to substitute Zirkzee at halftime and brought on an 18-year-old Jack Fletcher, who made his third appearance at the senior level.

Regarding substitutions made by Amorim, Neville further added, “They made Manchester United worse. Every single substitution was ridiculous.”

‘If Zirkzee was injured, and it was a tactical substitution, that was a very poor one.’ But Zirkzee isn't Eric Cantona, not by a long shot, and he had to get out there for physicality, for presence, for experience.”

SEE LISANDRO MARTINEZ’S FURIOUS REACTION AFTER MAN UTD’S SHOCK WOLVES DRAW

Lisandro Martinez demands more after Man Utd’s 1-1 draw with bottom-placed Wolves. United ended 2025 sixth in the Premier League.

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Martinez slams United’s tactical mistakes

Stand-in captain Lisandro Martinez was mad that Manchester United dropped points against Wolves, who are at the bottom of the league.

United came into the last game of 2025 after a good win against Newcastle on Boxing Day and were expected to easily beat Wolves.

Joshua Zirkzee scored first for United, but they didn't take their chances. Ladislav Krejci's header tied the game for Wolves, 1-1.

It was only their third point in 19 games, and it stopped their 11-game losing streak. United fans booed at the end of the game.

When Martinez was asked if it felt like a disappointing point, he said, 100 percent.

We are very disappointed. We can't keep drawing or losing points at home. We have to win.

We want to be at the top, competing with the best.

We can't drop points in games like this. We just have to accept it and be hungry for the next game.

Martinez was captain again because Bruno Fernandes is still recovering from an injury.

When United coach Ruben Amorim was asked about injured players for the game against Leeds on Sunday, he didn't give much away. Leeds are really wanting to beat United for the first time since 2010.

Martinez said to MUTV, You can either make excuses, or you can be strong and say, 'We're dropping points, so we need to go for the next one and show what we can do.'

We need to work together and do the easy things to get the three points.

United is in sixth place in the league at the end of 2025, only two points behind Liverpool for the last Champions League spot. Liverpool has a game in hand.

They could be in a better position if they had been better in both boxes. Leeds has been playing well lately, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin doing great up front.

Martinez added, It's about us. I don't like to think about other teams.

I'm thinking about what we can do to get better as a team every day, and we have to learn from this game.

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