Man United's midfield options discussed as Red Devils prepare to make another signing

Sports Mole's Football Editor Matt Law looks at how Manchester United could line up in midfield during the 2026-27 campaign.

Matt Law, Football Editor: "Mainoo is a player I love"

It's fair to assume it will be a 4-2-3-1 next season. Michael Carrick is not suddenly going to go rogue and start playing a different way. 

Bruno Fernandes plays as the number 10 and his record for availability is absolutely marvellous. I would be concerned about the lack of mobility if it was a Tielemans and Mainoo midfield. 

Two wonderful footballers, but I'd be slightly concerned about the energy in there, as the Premier League is getting more and more physical. 

You want technical players in the middle that can handle the ball, and that's why Andrey Santos is interesting. Andrey Santos can do a bit of everything. 

He's probably not a master of any one thing, but he's mobile and good on the ball. He's still young and will develop into a really good midfielder. 

Kobbie Mainoo is not a particularly mobile midfielder, which is why Ruben Amorim didn't play him. Amorim was concerned about that physicality in midfield. 

Mainoo is a fantastic player, and the suggestion is that he will be the number one pick in the middle this season. It will be a case of who plays with him rather than who plays instead of him. 

It depends so much on the profile. Sander Berge has been mentioned as well, from Fulham, someone who would cost a lot less than many others on the list, though he's in his late 20s, so it's a different profile. 

A lot depends on who they can get in. Manu Kone would fit the bill in terms of a mobile destroyer. Baleba as well in that sense. Both are very good ball carriers, very energetic with that physicality. 

If we were starting the season now, I think Santos would play, because Tielemans and Mainoo as a combination would concern me slightly. 

That's not to say they can't play together, and in European football there will be opportunities to play three of them. 

Santos and Tielemans are really good signings, and Kobbie Mainoo is a player I love. The fact that he didn't get a minute at the World Cup is extraordinary. 

I thought it was an absolute disgrace that he didn't play in any of the games. He was injured for the last game, but the combinations are interesting. A lot depends on the third midfielder. It's looking good for United in midfield at the moment, depending on who they can add.