Manchester United walked away from a £35m agreement for Atalanta midfielder Ederson earlier in the transfer window after concerns during his medical, and Don Hutchison believes that was a mistake.
United's midfield rebuild
Michael Carrick is preparing for his first full season as Manchester United manager with midfield reinforcements a priority after Casemiro's departure. Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans have arrived from Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively, while Karl Darlow joined from Leeds United as cover for Senne Lammens.
United remain keen to strengthen further in midfield, with Manu Kone and Carlos Baleba among the players under consideration.
Outstanding player – Hutchison on Ederson
Earlier in the window, United had agreed a £35m deal with Atalanta for Ederson before the World Cup. However, they pulled out after concerns arose during the Brazilian's medical following his time away with the national side. The 27-year-old has since signed a new contract with Atalanta.
"I'm surprised they didn't go back for Ederson," Hutchison told ESPN. "I think he's an outstanding player who can make other players around him better. He's just signed a new deal in Atalanta but he's a very, very good player."
A clever guy – Carrick's transfer approach
Hutchison said he could understand United's cautious approach this summer but insisted the squad still lacks numbers. "They've had a couple of really, really outstanding windows, good windows, buying very, very good players and young, promising players," he said. "I think it's just being a little bit greedy if you want all these Champions League players to come in this summer."
He added that the club's strategy has changed and they are no longer willing to spend £100m on players, which explains why some deals were abandoned. "I think Michael is a clever guy. He'd be naive if he thought what he's got now is good enough to compete in the domestic competitions with the Premier League and Champions League because now this is a tougher test," Hutchison said.
"They were outstanding with no European football last year, but bodies have to be brought in. But you have to be careful. You can't go out and spend £25 million on a guy that's not going to play. You've still got players like Kobbie Mainoo who need game time, so it's all revolving around the players that were signed in the last couple of windows, the players that are already there."
Future windows and pre-season
Looking ahead, Hutchison believes the following transfer window will be telling. "It's then when they need to try to move on from the likes of Maguire and maybe when they've had a good look at Senne Lammens, they might think that in two years or 18 months, that's an upgrade that needs fixing, a world-class goalkeeper," he said. "But for now, I think with the window still open, I think they are pretty fairly set."
United's preparations for the new season continued on Saturday when Carrick's side came from behind to beat Atletico Madrid in their third pre-season friendly.
