Wilcox ready to seal big-money Man Utd move ASAP

There will be the ongoing, tiresome debate surrounding Thomas Tuchel’s selection decisions heading into Wednesday’s opener against Croatia, yet as Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo is very much aware, the team that starts a tournament is rarely the one to finish it.

Back in 2024, for instance, the then-teenager forced his way into Gareth Southgate’s plans late in the day, having only made his senior debut for England in the March – a matter of months on from his first-ever Premier League start.

A sticky start to Euro 2024 saw Southgate experiment with Trent Alexander-Arnold in central midfield, yet come the knockout stages, it was Mainoo who had secured a starting berth alongside Declan Rice, producing a particularly dazzling display in the semi-final win over the Netherlands.

For all the talk of Elliot Anderson, don’t be surprised to see the United man again force his way into the reckoning this summer, the 21-year-old deserving of a look-in after a fabulous end to the season under Michael Carrick.

Whatever happens at the World Cup, Mainoo is set to be a mainstay when the 2026/27 campaign kicks off, with all the focus now on finding him a suitable partner in the centre of the park.

Man Utd hoping to wrap up deal quickly for next signing after Ederson

The World Cup or any major summer tournament can often prove a frustrating obstacle when it comes to getting deals over the line, although that doesn’t appear to be an issue for the Red Devils on current evidence.

Jason Wilcox and co have already reached an agreement to sign Atalanta star Ederson, the 26-year-old expected to officially join at the start of July, despite his belated call-up to the Brazil squad.

The former Torino man is no doubt set to be the first of many arrivals at Old Trafford, not least in the midfield unit, with United widening their search amid the aforementioned Anderson’s expected move to Manchester City.

The man whom INEOS now want, it would seem, is West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes, with journalist Ben Jacobs revealing that talks with the Hammers have now begun, after the 21-year-old indicated his desire to make the move.

Negotiations are likely to centre around the Portuguese’s price tag, currently said to be around £80m-£85m, with Wilcox likely to be a key figure having had a hand in signing the youngster previously at Southampton.

The likes of Real Madrid, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain have also held talks of their own, although it is Carrick’s side that appear to be leading the race, with Jacobs suggesting that the club are now “aiming to move quickly”.

Why Fernandes could be another Mainoo at Man Utd

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that’s certainly true with regard to Mainoo, the Stockport native having seized his chance in 2026 after failing to start a single Premier League under Ruben Amorim in the first half of the campaign.

From a sparkling performance in the January Manchester derby, when Mainoo notably sent Antoine Semenyo for a dummy, he hasn’t really looked back, serving a fresh reminder of just what a talent he truly is.

He’s such a delightful player to watch at his best, something that isn’t necessarily reflected statistically, with United’s number 37 scoring just once and registering only two assists in 2025/26, having created only one ‘big chance’ and averaged just 0.8 key passes per game.

The same is perhaps true of young Fernandes, with the former Saints star having been a real shining light in a difficult season at the London Stadium, even while not exactly ripping it up in an attacking sense.

Operating in a deep-lying number eight role primarily, in a similar vein to Mainoo, Fernandes did only score three times and register four assists last season, having created only three ‘big chances’ and averaged just one key pass per game.

Again, however, that doesn’t tell the full story, with much of his brilliance seen in his ability to dictate proceedings between the lines, so adept and composed in possession despite his relative youth.

Like Mainoo, Fernandes, even at just 21, is not an errant, wild asset on the ball, boasting an 87% pass rate all season, including a 93% pass accuracy inside his own half.

Mainoo, for comparison, enjoyed a similar record, averaging 89% and 90% for those same two metrics, respectively. Again, for context, Casemiro ended 2025/26 with just an 81% pass accuracy rate, and an 86% rate in his own half.

Not that United want to have to merely safe and steady midfielders alongside each other, but both Mainoo and Fernandes can offer that real sense of control, with the centre of the park so often looking all at sea at Old Trafford in recent years.

There’s also an impressive physicality to the pair, with Mainoo dribbled past just 0.4 times per game last season, while Fernandes ended up with an average of 3.9 tackles and interceptions per game. Casemiro, meanwhile, was dribbled past 1.5 times per game and averaged 3.5 tackles and interceptions.

The two men have their differing strengths, but they are two exciting, rising midfield stars who can kick on even further under Carrick’s watch, with their surely no better coach to nurture them over the coming years.