Erik ten Hag is set to target a new midfielder in the summer transfer window as he continues to overhaul his Manchester United squad, with Bruno Fernandes giving his blessing.
Bruno Fernandes’ dream midfield partners suggests he will be delighted with Erik ten Hag’s plans for the summer transfer window.
Ten Hag boosted Manchester United’s midfield with the signing of Casemiro ahead of this campaign. But he is set to once again add to that department in the upcoming window, with Frenkie de Jong and Jude Bellingham top of his shortlist.
Casemiro has been one of United’s top performers since his arrival from Real Madrid, with Fernandes also starring for the Red Devils. Fred and Scott McTominay have impressed on occasion, but United are widely seen as needing a final piece of the midfield jigsaw.
Ten Hag is hoping that will come in the form of Barcelona star De Jong or Borussia Dortmund vice-captain Bellingham. And Fernandes has already revealed he would be delighted to see one of the duo arrive.
Soon after his arrival at Old Trafford, Fernandes spoke of his desire to have played alongside Paul Scholes and Roy Keane. He was asked which of the United legends he would rather play with, with his answer giving a hint towards his happiness with Ten Hag’s decisions today.
“This is a difficult one, eh? I think the most difficult until now. So, I don’t know. If I can have both, better, because I need the guy behind me kicking everyone and recovering balls, like Roy Keane does, and have the quality to give the balls to the guys up front,” Fernandes said.
“If you look at Roy Keane, he’s the kind of player all teams need. Teams play in different ways, but all the teams can have him. [It] doesn’t matter if you play in possession, in counter, you need a guy like this normally.
“I think Roy Keane is an excellent player and he can give me a lot of cover in the back. To play side to side with Scholes would be fantastic. If I can play with both, I play with Roy Keane in the back behind me and Scholes.
“Because me and Scholes can both go in the area scoring. We want to score, we want to be in the area, no? And maybe we will need Roy Keane at our backs.”
Casemiro can be seen as filling the role once held by Keane, sitting deeper and providing cover for United’s defence. He has made 38 appearances in all competitions and is a leading candidate for the club’s player of the year award, even though he has had some disciplinary issues.
Fernandes has also enjoyed an impressive season and has frequently filled in as captain, with Harry Maguire out of favour. The Portugal international has scored 10 goals and notched 12 assists in all competitions.
The final piece of the puzzle, or the Scholes role, could be filled by De Jong or Bellingham. Both will be targets in the summer, though United will face a huge battle to sign either player.
Source: mirror.co.uk
