Manchester United's Midfield Evolution After Casemiro
Michael Carrick insists Manchester United’s midfield cannot stand still. Not after Casemiro. Not after this summer.
The former United midfielder, now part of the club’s coaching setup, made it clear the engine room is in the middle of a deliberate, and expensive, rebuild – one he believes is already changing the profile of the team.
Life after Casemiro
Casemiro’s exit left a sizeable gap, both in presence and pedigree. United identified midfield as the priority long before the window opened, and they have spent like a club that knows it cannot afford to get this wrong.
Andrey Santos has arrived from Chelsea in a £50million deal, Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for £35m. Two very different players, two big fees, one clear intention: reshape the core of the side.
“I think players have always come and gone through history here,” Carrick said, reflecting on the transition after Casemiro. “You’ve got to evolve, you’ve got to find ways of moving forward, you’ve got to find ways of winning, essentially.
“I know we’ve got a good midfield. We’ve brought in some really, really top players and really good characters, which is important. And we’ve got to evolve, we’ve got to evolve and we’ve got to improve.”
The message was repeated, almost like a mantra. Evolve or fall behind.
The next piece: Carlos Baleba
United are not done yet. Carlos Baleba is lined up as the third major midfield signing of the summer.
The club have submitted an initial bid of £60m plus £5m in add-ons to Brighton, and there is confidence a deal can be done. United are pushing to keep the total fee under £75m, a figure that would take their overall spend on midfielders this window to around £160m.
That number underlines how central this rebuild is to their wider project. This is not tinkering. It is a reset.
Asked if a third midfielder was essential before the deadline, Carrick didn’t bite on the word “necessary” but left no doubt about the direction of travel.
“As I said before, we’re trying to improve the squad all the time,” he replied. “We’re working towards that. I think largely we’ve got a really good balance within the group.
“As it stands now, we’ve got some very good, top midfielders to choose from. So I think we’ve improved that.
“As I said, since the start of the window to the end, we’ll see what happens, you know. As I said, we want to finish stronger as the window closes, so we’re working towards that.”
The plan is clear: start the season with a stronger midfield than the one that finished the last.
Missed targets, new solutions
This overhaul has not followed United’s original script. Their top midfield target, Elliot Anderson, moved across town to Manchester City earlier in the window in a £116m deal. That was a blow.
They pivoted to Mateus Fernandes at West Ham. Another door slammed shut. Fernandes chose Tottenham in an £85m move.
Only then did United lock in on Santos and Tielemans, landing the pair for a combined fee that matched what Spurs paid for Fernandes alone. The market, as Carrick admitted, has been wild.
“There are certainly players who have gone for and been more expensive, I think that’s pretty obvious,” he said.
“We’re delighted with the two that we’ve brought in, I think, and for the money, of course, but actually take that away, I’m delighted that we’ve got them.
“Two fantastic players give us really good balance, give us a lot within the team, offer us different things.
“But certainly yeah, for the value that we feel we’ve got, I think we’ve done very well with them two especially.”
United may have lost their first-choice targets, but they believe they have found a smarter blend: Santos’ energy and potential, Tielemans’ experience and craft, and possibly Baleba’s dynamism on top.
The question now is simple, and unforgiving: with close to £160m poured into the middle of the pitch, can this new-look midfield turn evolution into actual wins?
