Man Utd handed verdict on next transfer as club to confirm deal | Football | Sport

Ederson has been backed to succeed at Manchester United ahead of his impending arrival from Atalanta. The Red Devils agreed a deal with the Serie A side earlier this month to sign the midfielder, who looks set to become the first signing of the Michael Carrick era at Old Trafford.

United’s need to bolster their midfield this summer is no secret, with mainstay Casemiro departing when his contract expires at the end of June. They are set to pay an initial €40.5million (£35m), plus €4.5million (£3.8m) in add-ons for the 26-year-old.

And AC Milan’s Loftus-Cheek, speaking to Sky Sports and who came up against the Brazilian in Serie A this season, said: “He’ll do just fine. The times we’ve played against each other, he’s been very physical.”

“He’s quick, he’s strong, he’s good on the ball. I think he’ll do really well – he’s a good signing.”

A move for Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni has been considered, but Sir Alex Ferguson’s former right-hand Rene Meulensteen wants to see United sign another forward.

“I still think they need to do something in the striker position as well as midfield reinforcements,” he told Tipman Tips.

“I would rather see United bring in a more experienced striker. Now, I don’t think he will be tempted to leave Bayern this summer, but if United could attract someone like Harry Kane, then suddenly you are in a great position to start challenging for the title.

“Kane is probably out of reach at the moment for United, but you then look for somebody that has that Premier League pedigree, for instance, Mateta.

“A strong striker, proven himself in the Premier League again this season. There are different attributes that he brings – you can play through him, he can score a goal himself, but you can’t just keep relying on young players in attack, otherwise you keep on throwing people up there like (Bryan) Mbeumo or (Matheus) Cunha, that obviously can do the job, but they’re not real strikers.

“The young striker from RB Salzburg, Kerim Alajbegovic, who’s a very promising talent, but again very young, and it’s not a certainty that he will fit in straight away.

“Not only at Man United but also in the Premier League, because it’s such a different league to all the others.”