Man Utd are planning to overhaul their midfield this summer and they are likely to sign at least one Premier League-proven player.
Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali would both improve United’s midfield next season
Manchester United have had their difficulties against Newcastle in recent seasons and so much of that can be traced back to the centre of the pitch. Eddie Howe’s side have often had the better and more physical midfielders, which has allowed them to run all over United at times.
Newcastle have won five of the last seven head-to-heads in what for so long was a one-sided rivalry and even United’s most recent win, on Boxing Day, was a backs-to-the-wall special when the visitors left Old Trafford scratching their heads at a failure to score.
United have been going through a period of transition and uncertainty in midfield at times and some of their issues in that area of the pitch have been laid bare by these opponents. Joelinton, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes have often run all over the men in red.
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Things won’t be quite as one-sided at St James’ Park on Wednesday night. United’s midfield has tightened up under Michael Carrick, and Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo are in excellent form, while Newcastle will be without their inspirational captain, Guimaraes.
They are also having an inconsistent season, and although the cups have been relatively kind to them, they are 13th in the Premier League and in danger of missing out on Europe altogether next season. A run of one win and five defeats from their last seven league games tells a story.
Where that leaves the Newcastle project would be anyone’s guess. They were dealt a blow when Alexander Isak forced his way out of the club last summer and the replacements haven’t been up to scratch. If they go a season without European football, the fear on Tyneside is that more big names could leave.
Tonali has already begun to flirt with the idea, with his agent trying to get a move to Arsenal on the agenda in January. The 25-year-old Italian looks likely to try and head for the exit in the summer and United would be among the clubs interested if that did happen.
Arsenal clearly have an interest in Tonali and he might prefer a return to Italy, but he would fit the bill at Old Trafford in a summer when central midfield will be top of the agenda in the market. Casemiro will leave when his contract expires and Manuel Ugarte could be sold.
United enjoyed success last summer in signing players who had already cut the mustard in the Premier League and at least one of their midfield signings this year is likely to come from a domestic rival. They also like Elliot Anderson at Nottingham Forest, although they will face competition from Manchester City for his signature, while Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton also feature on the shortlist.
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Tonali’s name is now on that list as well. He would clearly add quality and dynamism to the midfield. But the same is true of an even better Newcastle midfielder, in Guimaraes.
The Brazilian has been loyal to the cause since signing from Lyon in 2022, but he turns 29 in November and at the peak of his powers, he deserves to be playing on the biggest stage and competing for trophies, something that looks unlikely to happen for him at the moment at Newcastle.
He will still have two years left on his contract this summer, so Guimaraes would have to try and force a move, but interest from Manchester City has already passed him by. He is a legend at St James’ Park, but will that be enough to comfort him if the best he can hope for is competing for a place in Europe every season?
It would be a bold and ambitious move from United, and with Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vivell in charge of recruitment, they might prefer Tonali, who is three years younger than Guimaraes anyway. Either way, it feels like one of Newcastle’s outstanding central midfielders should be near the top of the shopping list this summer.
What better way for United to begin their overhaul than by signing one of the players who has given them the most problems in recent seasons?
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2026-03-03 06:00:00
