Manchester United suffered yet another 0-3 home defeat to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday which left them languishing in the bottom half of the table at Christmas for the first time ever.
Ruben Amorim’s decision to sub off Manuel Ugarte in the second half allowed the Cherries to much space to exploit with Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes struggling to cover.
The Portuguese does not have the best of options in the middle of the park with both Christian Eriksen and Casemiro too slow out of possession and likely to depart either in January or next summer.
It is clear that Amorim is phasing both of them out with the Dane starting only two games since the ex-Sporting Lisbon boss took charge while the Brazilian has not made it off the bench for the last four league games.
Ederson interest
The head coach demands intensity from all his players and both 32-year-olds are incapable of producing that week in and week out and hence, replacements are being sought.
Atalanta’s Ederson has been touted as a top target though The Peoples Person recently relayed that not all within the club are convinced yet.
As per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the Red Devils really like the player and have scouted him several times during the course of the current campaign and have deemed him a perfect fit for the coach’s style.
“I can guarantee to you that several clubs around Europe are monitoring Ederson, Man Utd are one of them. For sure, Man Utd like the player.
Perfect fit for Amorim
“Ruben Amorim wants intensity and when you think of intensity, Ederson is probably one of the most intense midfielders around Europe.
“He’s running for three players, top, top player. January transfer window will be really complicated but the feeling is that Ederson could leave in the summer. United have sent their scouts several times to scout Ederson. He has many fans around Europe.”
The Brazilian has a contract at Atalanta until 2027 and would likely cost around €60 million with a January exit considered unlikely with the Bergamo-based outfit currently top of the Serie A table.
There are many suitors for the 25-year-old and United must act decisively to stave off competition for the defensive midfielder.
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
