BREAKING NEWS: His agent met me at my office yesterday to tell me about His client desire to join Man United,I have no other option that to approve the move because He have champions league clause in his contract”, Newcastle president confirmed ONE Newcastle star is set to join Man United
At this point in time, it’s far from easy to predict what Manchester United’s summer transfer business might look like. It’s unclear whether Michael Carrick will stay on or a new manager be installed, and beyond the pressing need for a refresh of the midfield there are any number of issues which need to be addressed.
United might have taken strides back towards top four contention since Carrick took charge, but there is little doubt that they have a long way to get yet after years of decay. We can therefore expect the club to be extremely lively in the coming window, but working out precisely where they might spend their cash isn’t straightforward.
Take the midfield situation: United have been heavily linked with Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton and Carlos Baleba, with little clarity on who they might prefer. So how will they go about their business? We decided to use this as a chance to test out a popular AI model to find out whether it could correctly predict United’s single biggest signing of the summer – and the answer it emerged with was certainly unexpected…
The £120m midfielder Manchester United will sign – according to AI
Prompted to work out the single biggest purchase that Manchester United will make according to their finances and tactical needs, the AI agreed that a midfielder would be the priority – but decided that United would go for a very different type of signing.
Instead of an Anderson or a Wharton, the AI reckons that the club will spend a massive £120m to lure Bruno Guimarães way from Newcastle United – a move that would break the club’s transfer record and raise eyebrows across the north of England.
The AI singled out the Brazilian’s aggressive box-to-box style as being precisely what United need, and the big-money addition of a 28-year-old could perhaps line up with the club’s reported desire to move away from the purchase of talented youngster towards more established players. Still, that’s no small amount for a player who is unlikely to have a decade left in the tank.
In fairness to the AI, Anderson seems increasingly likely to move to Manchester City, Baleba has endured a deeply disappointing season after being linked with United last summer, and there will surely be some degree of competition for Wharton – so United may well need to get creative to get what they need. But would Bruno be what they really need?
Is Bruno the kind of midfielder that Manchester United need?
Any question about the specific players that might suit Manchester United’s needs this summer clearly can’t be answered with certainty until we know who the head coach will be – but if Carrick stays in place, it’s debatable as to whether a box-to-box midfielder is what the club truly need.
Carrick has enjoyed success by using Kobbie Mainoo in a slightly more progressive ‘shuttling’ role alongside a true anchorman midfielder, typically Casemiro – and it’s the Brazilian who must be replaced as a priority.
A midfielder like Bruno Guimarães (or indeed Adam Wharton) is likely better suited to a variation of the role currently played by Mainoo, with a more dedicated defensive player surely the priority. Another manager might want to play a different system, perhaps a double pivot, which could very well suit Bruno perfectly – but that isn’t the case right now.
Of course, even if Carrick stays, he could adapt his methods to suit a different type of player after Casemiro moves on. But for now, we suspect that the AI’s prediction is likely to be wide of the mark – perhaps it isn’t ready to take everything over just yet. We’ll find out in a few months…
