Manchester United's new transfer strategy might be about to hit a stumbling block

There are three guarantees in life: death, taxes and Manchester United attempting to fix their midfield in a summer transfer window.

For the fourth summer running, United are once again in the market for a midfielder. Casemiro, Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte have all arrived for big-money fees in each of the last three summers, but United's midfield remains a talking point.

After a lengthy pursuit for Frenkie de Jong's signature went nowhere in 2022, United turned to Casemiro, signing him for an initial fee of £60million from Real Madrid. He was excellent in his first season at the club, developing an excellent partnership with fellow new recruit Christian Eriksen.

The following summer, United wanted to add more energy to their midfield department and paid an initial fee of £55m to sign Mount from Chelsea. However, his first two seasons at the club were ravaged by injury issues.

Following Casemiro's sharp downfall in 2023/24, United swooped for Ugarte last summer to add more steel and grit to their midfield pool. However, his struggles in possession mean that United are now on the hunt for yet another midfielder.

Following the capture of Matheus Cunha from Wolves, the Brazilian is set to take up residency in the left-sided No.10 position, meaning Bruno Fernandes is poised to move into midfield on a permanent basis.

Fernandes is just as influential operating deeper as he is further forward, often pulling the strings and scoring goals, but a debate is being had about who his ideal midfield partner should be.

Eriksen will leave United when his contract expires at the end of this month, Casemiro could be sold, Ugarte has shown his limitations in possession, Mount is more effective as a No.10 in Ruben Amorim's 3-4-2-1 system