Manchester United’s midfield is a key position in the squad that the hierarchy are keen to improve in the summer transfer window.
According to reports, the Red Devils have agreed to sign Ederson from Atalanta BC for a reported €45 million transfer fee.
Despite this latest report, Manchester United remain keen to improve their midfield further, having been linked with several midfielders.
The Red Devils’ decision to enhance their midfield could be due to the departure of the highly experienced Casemiro and the possible exit of Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte, who have both underperformed.
Meanwhile, among the players linked with a move to Old Trafford, Mateus Fernandes and Carlos Baleba are targets that fit into the club’s policy of signing Premier League-proven players, an approach the club took last summer that has arguably yielded positive returns, particularly from an attacking perspective.
In view of that approach, Manchester United’s midfield is expected to see the addition Mateus Fernandes from the recently relegated West Ham United, according to a report from Football365.
On the other hand, the Red Devils have likewise been interested in signing Carlos Baleba from Brighton & Hove Albion since last summer, and this situation has left the supporters divided on which midfielder would be a perfect fit for Michael Carrick’s tactical setup.
However, this article intends to analyse why the Manchester United’s midfield should see Mateus Fernandes rather than Carlos Baleba.
Manchester United’s Midfield: Mateus Fernandes Offers Greater Versatility And Tactical Flexibility Than Carlos Baleba
In modern football, we’ve seen that a player’s proficiency in playing multiple positions makes him a more attractive target in the transfer market.
Meanwhile, Mateus Fernandes’ ability to play in all three major midfield positions, which are defensive midfield, centre midfield, and attacking midfield, makes him a more versatile player than Carlos Baleba, who can only double as a defensive and central midfielder.
This basically implies that Fernandes can be a replacement for several of players in Manchester United’s midfield when there is a tactical switch or injury.
It also shows that Fernandes could easily adapt to several tactical setups, which could be profitable under Michael Carrick’s 4-2-3-1 tactical system.
The 21-year-old could cover for Bruno Fernandes in the attacking midfield position, he could share the central midfield position with Kobbie Mainoo, and sit deep in midfield, whereas Carlos Baleba could only cover the central and defensive midfield roles. Hence, Mateus Fernandes’ signing will profit Manchester United more in midfield.
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Manchester United’s Midfield: Mateus Fernandes Provides More Creativity Than Carlos Baleba
While both players are distinctively unique in midfield, Mateus Fernandes is more creative with the ball than Carlos Baleba.
The Portuguese midfielder is already a Premier League-proven midfielder who has shown that he can offer goals and assists in attack. He has likewise proven to be a player with decent passing ability both from long and short range.
In the 2025/26 season, Mateus Fernandes scored five goals and registered five assists in 42 games for West Ham United despite their poor run of form.
Meanwhile, Carlos Baleba failed to register any goal contribution in 35 games for Brighton last season. This goes to show that Mateus Fernandes could further improve with Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo around him at Old Trafford.
Manchester United’s Midfield: Ederson’s Arrival Could Deliver Much Of What Carlos Baleba Would Bring
Having reportedly signed Ederson from Atalanta BC, Carlos Baleba might not be greatly needed in Michael Carrick’s squad as both players are destroyers.
Baleba is decent with ball-winning, advancing with the ball from the backline to attack and has a good passing range.
Meanwhile, Ederson is quite similar but more efficient in his passing, positioning to break the attack of the opponents, and ability to hold the ball in tighter defensive spaces.
This further implies that Manchester United’s midfielder should add Mateus Fernandes, who is a completely different player from Carlos Baleba and Ederson.
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Credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto
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