Manchester United are considering making a move for a young England star as an alternative to Carlos Baleba, according to reports.
And Rio Ferdinand believes the ‘Michael Carrick-esque’ player would be a great signing for his former club.
United kicked off their 2025/26 Premier League campaign on Sunday with a 1-0 loss to Arsenal, though their performance was much-improved from last season.
After spending around £200million on revamping his attack, Ruben Amorim now wants a box-to-box midfielder at Old Trafford and had set his sights on Brighton’s Baleba.
But the Seagulls insist their player will not be sold this summer and have slapped a £115m price tag on him, which has led to United cooling their interest.
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However, talkSPORT report that the Red Devils remain fans of Adam Wharton and are weighing up whether to try and buy the Crystal Palace star before the transfer deadline on September 1.
Wharton has been incredibly impressive since joining Palace from Blackburn Rovers last year in a deal worth up to £22m, playing a key role in their FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs.
He was part of the England squad that reached the final of Euro 2024 though he has only been capped once for his country, mainly due to untimely injuries.
The likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are also interested in his services but it was reported earlier this summer that the 21-year-old, valued at over £70m, is happy to stay at Selhurst Park for another season.
In any case, the Eagles don’t want to sell Wharton in this transfer window, especially as they look set to lose fellow star players Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi to Tottenham and Liverpool respectively.
Wharton played the full 90 minutes on Sunday as Palace were held to a goalless draw by Chelsea in their opening Premier League clash.
Rio Ferdinand praises ‘fantastic’ Adam Wharton
Speaking on his YouTube channel following the defeat to Arsenal, United legend Ferdinand said: ‘We’ve been talking about Baleba, he’s been the hot topic for the last month or so, but before that, Adam Wharton was one of the guys I was saying [United should sign].
‘He’s the nearest to a Michael Carrick type, who’s a controller, who can play, who plays forward from that deeper line position at times. He can be an eight if you need him to be and can run on at times if need be, but he’s more of a conductor and can control things.
‘I watched him in a couple of games last season against big teams like Man City and Liverpool, and he looks unfazed. He looks ready for a big occasion.
‘He enjoys pressure, can play under pressure, and the game kind of slows down when the ball is around him. I love him. I think he’s a fantastic footballer.
‘But what I would say at Manchester United, we have Kobbie Mainoo. I think Mainoo can control the game, play deep. I think Mainoo can play that role given the opportunity because you can play through somebody like him and you can get out of tight situations and open the game up for your attacking players.
‘You might just have to be a patient young man at the moment for the team to find its way for the manager to then put the trust in him to go and play.
‘But if it was me personally, if I was playing two in the midfield, Kobbie Mainoo would definitely play because he’s a super talent who can handle the ball as well as anybody that Man United have got right now and I would give him that responsibility.’
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