Gary Neville has urged Manchester United to prioritise signing a midfielder in the mould of Michael Carrick this summer. The former United captain believes the club must strengthen the centre of the pitch to compete in the Champions League next season.
United have enjoyed a resurgence since sacking Ruben Amorim in January and are on course for a top-four finish. Last summer they spent over £200m on Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko to address their attacking issues. Neville now insists midfield must be the next focus.
Casemiro announced in January he will leave when his contract expires, while doubts persist over other options. Neville said on his podcast: 'The centre of midfield is a problem. Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro are doing a great job right now, but that is going to be nowhere near enough when they start playing in the Champions League next season.'
He added: 'They need two really good central midfield players. Probably one that's more positional, like a Michael Carrick-type, and one that's more of a destroyer.' United were keen on adding a midfielder last summer but ran out of funds after their forward signings. Brighton's Carlos Baleba was linked but priced at £100m.
Other targets include Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson, Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton, Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi and Olympiakos' Christos Mouzakitis. Neville concluded: 'The back needs looking at, but midfield would be the real focus in the summer transfer window.'
