Five midfield engines Man Utd could swoop for if Baleba transfer fails

MANCHESTER UNITED have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Carlos Baleba.

The Red Devils opened talks with Brighton, via intermediaries, in the hopes of securing a deal for the 21-year-old earlier this month.

However, despite the player reportedly being open to the move, his price tag of over £100million following a summer of heavy spending for United meant any deal would be difficult.

And comments from Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler before the Premier League season gets underway have cast further doubt over the move being completed this window.

The German boss said he was, "very, very, very confident," the Cameroon international will remain a Brighton player this season, adding the only difference he has seen is a change in his hair.

It is no secret to anyone who has watched United under Ruben Amorim that they are desperate for a strong two-way midfielder to sit in their pivot, with options like Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro proving to not be up to standard.

So with Baleba no longer on the table, it begs the question, who can United target in the market?

SunSport have identified five statistically similar players to Baleba as alternative options for the midfield, including two Amorim favourites and two Premier League stars.

Amadou Onana

We're starting off with the star who would likely be the most like for like to Baleba in the form of Aston Villa star Amadou Onana, and with PSR implications in play it stands to reason United could cook up a move.

Onana, who turns 24 tomorrow, was previously a target for Old Trafford bosses before completing a £50m switch to Villa Park from Everton last summer.

An already impressive player during his time at the Toffees, Onana was key in helping Unai Emery's side secure a top six finish and was sorely missed when he suffered a hamstring injury in February.

Compared to Baleba last season, the Belgium midfielder has an almost identical passing range to his Brighton counterpart, with Onana completing 3.83 passes into the final third per 90 minutes to Baleba's 3.68.

Onana also enjoyed a superior progressive passing rate, clocking in 4.17 progressive passes per 90 to Baleba's 3.99, while the Villa star is also the superior player in terms of successful take-ons with a 70 per cent success rate in dribbles up field compared to Baleba's 57.9 per cent.

However, statistically speaking, Baleba is a better carrier of the ball with 32.8 carries per 90 to Onana's 30.7 per 90.

Both showed superb defensive prowess as well, though Baleba is shown to be the better ball-winner in the middle third, putting up 3.61 possessions won there per 90 to Onana's 2.44, and also putting up better interception figures.

That being said, Onana trumps Baleba in duels won per 90, 7.26 to 6.71, and tackles with 3.05 to 2.66.

Morten Hjulmand

SunSport have exclusively revealed that United chiefs will turn their attention to Sporting Lisbon's Morten Hjulmand if they miss out on Baleba.

The 26-year-old was one of Amorim's favourites during their time together at Sporting and would cost half what Baleba would.

It is easy to see why the Danish midfielder is so highly rated when looking at his numbers per 90 minutes, with 6.44 possessions won, 5.59 duels won, 8.39 passes into the final third and 11.02 carries.

Baleba's respective figures for these metrics is 6.64 total possessions won, 6.71 duels won, 5.32 passes into the final third and 13.98 carries.

While they can both perform similar roles defensively, Hjulmand offers a superior range of passing compared to the superior carrying ability possessed by Baleba.

The likelihood this season is that one midfielder will play alongside club captain Bruno Fernandes in the middle, so the profile will need to compliment him.

Lucas Bergvall

Tottenham's Lucas Bergvall may not be a player who is immediately considered like-for-like with Baleba.

However, in another timeline the teenage starlet could have been wearing the shirt of the Red Devils right now.

The Swede was a two-time trialist with United, firstly when he was with IF Brommapojkarna in 2020 at 15, before a second trial in 2022 shortly after he turned 16.

But the turnover of United's recruitment staff in 2022 saw him slip through the cracks, ultimately paving the way for the 19-year-old to arrive at Spurs from Djurgården in February 2024.

And as fate would have it, Bergvall's numbers indicate he is a solid Baleba alternative.

They are similar in a number of aspects, with Bergvall putting up 2.91 tackles per 90, 6.42 duels won, 4.93 passes into the final third and 16.72 carries making him marginally worse than Baleba in duelling and forward passing, but better in tackling activity and carrying.

That being said, Bergvall started far fewer games than Baleba last season, down to both his relative youth and being down the pecking order until injuries gave him a chance to play.

He was a late substitute in Spurs' Super Cup defeat against PSG on Wednesday, but could yet become a key name under Thomas Frank.

In January, Swedish media claimed Spurs had slapped a £44m price tag on him, and after an impressive end of the season that price will have only increased which could make any potential move for the youngster even more difficult.

Mateus Fernandes

Unlike the rest of the names on this list, Mateus Fernandes could be far more easily attainable due to no longer playing in the top flight.

However, a look at the numbers behind the 21-year-old make interesting reading for the Southampton star.

The spiky Portuguese ace - who joined the Saints from Sporting Lisbon last summer - had 2.76 tackles per 90, 6.48 duels won, 12.38 total carries and 4.59 successful passes into the final third.

Fernandes is once again a player Amorim is familiar with from their time together in Portugal.

Amorim was still around at Sporting when Fernandes departed for the Premier League, and the Man Utd boss gave a glowing review of the star, saying: "What we lost is a player. A young man with a lot of value who, in my opinion, has the characteristics to be a great player.

"But choices were made. And then, obviously, we do everything together.

"We really wanted to keep Mateus. And, honestly, I think Mateus would have liked to stay, despite it being a big contract and a big league. It was a difficult time for everyone."

Reports suggest Southampton have already rejected a bid of £30m from West Ham and want up to £50m for him - a price United could theoretically pay while also future proofing their midfield.

Felix Nmecha

Felix Nmecha represents the exact type of player United have signed this summer, in terms of age.

The 24-year-old German, who signed for Borussia Dortmund in 2023 for £26m after coming through the youth ranks at Manchester City, has already been linked to United by German outlet Bild.

In March it was claimed the Red Devils were prepared to make an offer worth more than £41m to land him.

His time at both Dortmund and City have handed him experience in the Champions League - a level of play United are aiming to return to next season.

And his numbers place Nmecha at a higher level than Baleba in terms of passing capability, with 7.03 successful passes into the final third per 90 and 3.34 successful long passes per 90, compared to the Brighton man's 5.32 final third passes and 2.19 long passes respectively.

Baleba, however, is the superior ball winner and progressive carrier, with 6.71 duels won per 90 compared 5.96, 2.75 tackles per 90 to 2.03, 1.55 interceptions per 90 to 1.37 and 2.93 progressive carries per 90 compared to 1.85.

While he can also lay a claim to experience at the top level of European football, perhaps the main drawback against Nmecha is his lack of Prem proven experience.

Yet that did not stop United from signing Benjamin Sesko from the Bundesliga, and unlike Brighton, they know Dortmund are a club who are always willing to sell for the right price.

Homegrown solutions

Of course, there is an argument for the advancement of home grown talent at United.

The club has invested heavily in their academy, with it paying dividends in the youth levels through a highly-successful Under-18 set-up.

There is also the conundrum of 20-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, doubtless every bit as talented as Baleba if not more, who has played some minutes in pre-season as one of the two deeper midfielders.

He is excellent with ball carrying and is rarely dispossessed even when under pressure, which makes him a huge asset for bringing the ball out the back.

The concern around him is his tackling prowess, yet Mainoo's numbers are not too far off with 1.58 tackles won per 90 compared to Baleba's 1.55.

With United playing just one game a week for the majority of the season, a Mainoo renaissance by making him the core of the midfield could be all United need to solve their issues - but Amorim would need to have faith in the Carrington graduate for that to happen.