Manchester United are seriously considering a move for Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton to revamp Ruben Amorim’s midfield unit.
Ruben Amorim’s first few months at Old Trafford have revealed the deficiencies in his squad, forcing him to realise the reality of the situation. There are glaring problems in his roster that INEOS must fix when the summer arrives and hand their Portuguese tactician players who suit his 3-4-2-1 system – perhaps starting with a quality midfielder.
The Red Devils are reportedly set to intensify their pursuit of Adam Wharton from Crystal Palace. They are understood to be preparing a £66 million offer for the English talent, who has only returned from a two-month injury layoff.
Rated as one of the hottest young English talents, Wharton, 21, has enjoyed a meteoric rise following his move to Crystal Palace from Blackburn Rovers in January 2024. The central midfielder helped to transform the Eagles in the second half of last season before seeing injury interrupt his first full campaign at Selhurst Park.
Recently back from a groin surgery, the 21-year-old, who was a part of the England squad that had reached the Euro 2024 final in Germany, is also on the radar of several Premier League bigwigs.
Adam Wharton wanted by Manchester United
Amorim and INEOS are clear that Manchester United’s midfield unit needs a revamp. Christian Eriksen is out of contract at the end of the season and most certainly will leave the club on a free transfer. Similarly, Man United are keen to get rid of Casemiro, who is past his prime and not suited to play in Amorim’s energetic and pressing system.
The Red Devils would get a lot of wriggle room once Eriksen and Casemiro’s hefty wages are freed up, and Wharton appears to be the ideal candidate to replace one of them in Amorim’s squad. At 21, he fits into INEOS’ recruitment model of targeting young talents with high potential, as well as in Amorim’s system.
The all-action midfielder is gradually working his way towards attaining full fitness and his best form. He ran the show on return to Oliver Glasner’s starting XI in the 4-1 league win over Aston Villa in midweek. With his combination of technical quality and physicality, Wharton made a huge difference to Palace’s midfield and nullified the likes of John McGinn and Youri Tielemans.
Given the one-cap England international’s profile, he would be best suited to partnering Manuel Ugarte in the engine room. Wharton’s acquisition would also allow Bruno Fernandes to return to his original advanced playmaker’s role from where he can influence games more in comparison to being deeper.
While there are no doubts that Wharton would enhance United’s midfield, the main question is whether they can even afford such a hefty deal in the summer? Their lack of finances and PSR limitations are well known, so the 20-time English champions must sell well before even thinking about beating several other clubs to Wharton’s signature.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
