Michael Owen urged Manchester United to press ahead with a deal for West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes to bolster their options in central midfield.
Fernandes appears poised to leave West Ham this summer following the club’s relegation from the Premier League.
The 21-year-old was signed from Southampton last summer in a deal worth £38million plus £4m in add-ons and impressed in his debut season with the Hammers.
United have already looked to strengthen their options in midfield since the end of the season, with a deal in place to sign Atalanta’s Ederson for a fee of £35m.
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But the Red Devils are keen to sign at least one more central midfielder, and have reportedly already held talks about bringing Fernandes to Old Trafford.
The Portuguese midfielder is in high-demand, with Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid also said to be interested in a potential deal.
But Owen said his former club must pull out all the stops to sign Fernandes, particularly as they already look poised to lose out to Manchester City in the race to sign Elliot Anderson.
‘Casemiro’s shoes are big shoes to fill aren’t they?’ Owen told Metro. ‘And you know lots of people were writing them off but he had an incredible last two-thirds of the season and big shoes to fill.
‘Personally if I was Michael Carrick if I was Manchester United, I’d be getting Fernandes from West Ham. I think he’s very good. I think he’s exactly what they need.
‘I think they’re going to probably be gazumped with Elliot Anderson from Man City, but there’s obviously plenty of names. Baleba at Brighton, there’s Scott at Bournemouth and things but if it were me I would be getting Fernandes from West Ham.’
West Ham are said to be holding out for an £80 million fee for Fernandes, but Owen believes that fee could be worth every penny.
‘I thought he was brilliant last season,’ added Owen, the face of Casino.org in the UK, a leading comparison website helping Brits find online casinos that suit their preferences.
‘I watched him a lot I think he’s a very good pick. He’s reasonably young which is another massive tick. If you’re going to be spending 80 to 100 million then you don’t want to be buying someone that’s in their late 20s.
‘I could see him and Kobbie Mainoo forming a great partnership in there, and the other thing is he should be gettable.
‘West Ham have gone into the Championship and he’s not going to want to be playing in the Championship so I mean I would think that he’s very gettable and I think he’s very good.
‘I personally would be making him my first choice.’
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