Manchester United’s route to signing a new central midfielder will reportedly be shaped around saving vast amounts of cash from player departures and savvy contract renewals—meaning Ruben Amorim may have to wait until the summer of 2026 to plump up his engine room.
The Red Devils have started to show some signs of life under Amorim in recent matches, stringing together an unbeaten five-game Premier League run that included three wins on the trot.
United’s performance in the win away at Liverpool was particularly encouraging, injecting a feel-good factor at Old Trafford that has been missing for almost the entirety of Amorim’s tenure.
The summer transfer window just gone saw United beef up Amorim’s attacking options—Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Šeško all arrived for fees north of £60 million ($79.1 million at current conversion)—and Senne Lammens was also drafted in late on to replace the inconsistent André Onana in goal. But there’s been continued discourse about United’s midfield options, despite an apparent resurgence from Casemiro.
Indeed, the Brazilian’s re-emergence as a functioning human being has been one of the surprise tales of United’s 2025–26 campaign. Disenchanted with life in Manchester and a near-certainty to be buying a one-way ticket to the Saudi Pro League, Casemiro’s back playing at a more than competent level, thriving in a two-man midfield that has seen Bruno Fernandes drop deeper to accommodate United’s aforementioned new boys.
