Man Utd Needs to Act Fast to Secure One of Three Transfer Targets After Elliot Anderson's Rejection

MANCHESTER UNITED spoke about coming quick out of the blocks in the transfer window last year. Their neighbours have been quicker this year.

Managerless’s determination to closeis a stunning statement of intent.

Anderson on England duty in Florida Credit: PA Anderson played against New Zealand and started against Costa Rica Credit: Shutterstock Editorial

Pep Guardiola is gone but enticing one of the most rounded midfielders in Europe defies any notion that City have lost their lustre.

City have been viewed as the frontrunners for months. SunSport revealed hours before their second bid for Anderson on Wednesday that discussions between all parties were productive and, crucially, that Anderson favoured a move to the Etihad.

People close to Anderson have been talking excitedly about City’s interest. That was another sure sign United were not going to come to the table. It was already telling that United did not enter the bidding after City’s opening offer was rejected.

have been burnt from signing big-money players who did not want to join them. Angel di Maria, a British-record arrival in 2014, wanted Paris Saint-Germain. Paul Pogba, a world-record buy, preferred Real Madrid.

Di Maria endured the worst abuse of any returning United player with PSG in 2019. Pogba was repeatedly told to “F*** off” on his final Old Trafford appearance. By United supporters.

When Newcastle caught Sir Alex Ferguson unawares with an audacious offer for Wayne Rooney in 2004, United did not beat about the bush.

Back then, United could cherry pick the best England players: Rooney, Rio Ferdinand in 2002, Michael Carrick in 2006 and Owen Hargreaves the following year.

Clubs beat United to the punch these days. United had Jude Bellingham in their own building in March 2020 but he opted for Borussia Dortmund.

Ederson will be the first midfield signing at United this summer Credit: AFP

Declan Rice asked Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw about life at United as far back as March 2021. He joined Arsenal in the same summer that Bellingham headed to Real Madrid.

Madrid and Arsenal have both reached Champions League finals with those midfield linchpins. United have spent two years out of the Champions League.

but United had a compelling pitch to change Anderson’s course to. Instead, they prioritised the prudent purchase of the £35m Ederson as he approached the final year of his Atalanta contract.

Ederson can hardly fare worse than the last United signing from Atalanta. Rasmus Hojlund was unproven when United wanted the proven pedigree of Harry Kane and the overpriced Dane lasted two years.

That 2023 summer window is arguably United’s worst. It was not as desperate or amateurish as Ed Woodward’s first in 2013 but consider the seven signings: Hojlund, Mason Mount, Andre Onana, Sofyan Amrabat, Sergio Reguilon, Altay Bayindir and Jonny Evans.

Miss after miss after miss until you get to Evans, a free agent brought in initially to maintain match fitness before United gave him a month-long contract and then a year-long contract.

That summer is a reminder of how quickly good work can be undone. United had finished third the previous season and the feeling was they had a squad in manager Erik ten Hag’s image to make a fist of it in the Premier League.

They ended up having their worst top-flight season in 34 years and Ten Hag was a cup final away from the sack.

Mount, Onana and Hojlund joined in 2023 Credit: Getty Images Scott and Anderson were England U21 teammates Credit: Getty

United cannot afford to get it wrong with recruitment this summer. They also need to start throwing their weight around more than three years ago.

Kane wanted to join United and Ten Hag wanted him. The club did not have the stomach for months of discussions with Daniel Levy.

Missing out on Anderson is galling but United must have been braced for the disappointment. There are also other enterprising England midfielders to turn to, though Alex Scott and Adam Wharton are not on the same plane as Anderson. Neither made the England plane to the United States, either.

Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo arrived last summer amid stiff competition. Arsenal had been in for Cunha and United saw off Champions League qualifiers Tottenham and Newcastle for Mbeumo.

Cunha was at The Lowry Hotel before the end of May last year and he might have had company had Liam Delap chosen United over Chelsea.

The £62.5m release clause in Cunha’s contract made that deal relatively routine. United quickly turned the page after their worst season in 51 years with a Brazilian No.10 who’d run rings around his new teammates for Wolves.

Targeting Premier League-proven talents at clubs amenable to selling to a fellow Premier League club was a sound strategy and United are shaping up to do similarly this summer.

Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, owners of Scott and Wharton, have form for that and so do Carlos Baleba’s paymasters at Brighton.

All three will be highly valued but nowhere near the figure City are about to part with for Anderson.

Newcastle are not worth the hassle over Sandro Tonali. They would doubtless demand a similar fee to the nine figures Anderson is set to command and Newcastle have not sold a player to United since Andy Cole in January 1995.

West Ham are likely to lose Mateus Fernandes now they are Championship fodder but the last player they sold to United was Paul Ince in 1989, when Margaret Thatcher was in No.10 and Tim Burton’s Batman sold out multiplexes.

Jose Mourinho wants to keep Aurelien Tchouameni at Real Madrid, too. Whoever United’s marquee midfield buy is, they better be quick about it.