Manchester United have embarked on a summer recruitment drive, with a clear focus on strengthening their midfield.
Casemiro has departed, leaving a huge hole in Michael Carrick’s engine room. However, the Red Devils have moved swiftly to bolster this position, already signing Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos for more than £80million combined.
United clearly aren’t done there, either, with a host of defensive midfielders still linked with Old Trafford as they seek to return to Premier League title relevance.
Assuming that Bruno Fernandes will be in the 10 and Tielemans takes the box-to-box role, that leaves one spot open for an experienced starter in the No.6 position — with youngsters like Santos and Kobbie Mainoo keeping them sharp and injecting fresh energy when needed.
Here, we’ve taken a look at the CDMs United are currently linked with and ranked them by their Squawka Score from the 2025/26 season.
Man Utd midfield options ranked
1. Aurelien Tchouameni
- Current club: Real Madrid
- Age: 26
- Squawka Score: 70%
It still feels such a short time ago that Aurelien Tchouameni arrived at Real Madrid from Monaco as a fresh-faced midfield prospect. However, four years have passed, with the France international now 26 years old and one of the elite players in his position.
Only two midfielders in La Liga managed a better Squawka Score than his 70% when it came to CDM statistics last season, and they were Jude Bellingham (73%) and Pedri (71%).
Tchouameni ranked in the 80-95th percentile for aerial duels won per 90 (2.47) and the 95th percentile for ground duel success rate (63.23%). However, more than just a physical presence, his retention rate (91.1%), unsuccessful touches (0.65) and passes into the final third completed (8.27) were also in the 95th percentile.
United now have so much technical quality in Fernandes and Tielemans, but in Tchouameni, they bring even more of that, augmented with powerful running and brutal defensive instincts.
2. Alex Scott
- Current club: Bournemouth
- Age: 22
- Squawka Score: 60%
Alex Scott isn’t necessarily a defensive midfielder by trade. However, 12 of his appearances last season started there, while he drifted into a deeper role regardless of where he was playing to help Bournemouth play through the lines and shut down counter attacks.
The former England youth international’s Squawka Score was equal to the likes of Moises Caicedo and Tielemans, perfectly illustrating the company he was keeping. In fact, Declan Rice (72%), Elliot Anderson (69%) and James Garner (65%) were the only Englishmen to better his 60% among defensive midfield metrics.
Scott lost just 0.76 challenges and averaged 6.14 ball recoveries per 90, with both placing him in the 80-95th percentile. This shows a midfielder who is keenly alert to loose balls and unyielding in the challenge. And while not outstanding, his 0.91 take-ons completed and 0.82 dispossessions (where Scott was dispossessed by an opponent) both placed him in the 60-80th percentile, making him an excellent complement to those who would be ahead of him at Old Trafford.
- Man Utd to win the Premier League: 6/1 with Bet365
3. Tyler Adams
- Current club: Bournemouth
- Age: 27
- Squawka Score: 58%
If you want elite defensive instincts and pure simplicity on the ball, Tyler Adams is your man. The United States international — playing alongside Scott at the Vitality Stadium — was in the 80-95th percentile last season for interceptions retaining possession (1.67) and dispossessions (0.56). He was also in the 60-80th percentile in a host of key metrics, including aerial duels won (1.37), retention rate (86.56%) and final third pass success rate (73.39%).
Of course, there are so many intangibles that Adams excels at that don’t quite get picked up statistically, to the point where he may just outshine everybody else on this list. The former Leeds United man is incredibly tenacious, while he’s shown brilliant tactical flexibility over the years, filling multiple midfield roles and even playing as a right-back/No.6 hybrid with the national team.
As the oldest player on the list, investment vs return might be the sticking point for Adams, not to mention his historic struggles with hamstring and muscle injuries.
4. Carlos Baleba
- Current club: Brighton
- Age: 22
- Squawka Score: 52%
Carlos Baleba represents the long-term target on this list. The Cameroon international was heavily linked with the Red Devils throughout last summer, before ultimately remaining at Brighton.
Unfortunately, his performances suffered somewhat as a result, with Baleba never really reaching his best form. His Squawka Score dipped to 52% from 57% in 2024/25 to reflect this.
That said, there is still a lot to like about Baleba. The Seagulls man was in the 80-95th percentile for interceptions retaining possession (1.57), aerial duels won (1.57) and possessions won in the middle third (3.36), showing positional instincts and physicality.
Where Baleba needs to improve is his distribution, with his 83.54% retention rate in the 40-60th percentile and his passes into the final third completed (2.33) even lower than that at the bottom 20% in his position.
However, at 22 years old, there is still plenty of time for Baleba to improve. What’s more, you’d think that working under a former midfielder of Carrick’s standing, and alongside the present technical brilliance of Fernandes and Tielemans, would enhance his game no end.
Wildcard: Manu Kone
You’d wager that a huge proportion of English fans wouldn’t have known about Manu Kone before the start of the World Cup this summer. However, his performances at the tournament have turned heads.
The Roma man played in five and started four of their matches, putting in particularly impressive performances against an extremely aggressive Paraguay side and a Morocco side forced to battle without Ismael Saibari. In the former match, for example, he completed a match-high 66 passes, while making four recoveries, two interceptions and one tackle, and winning all three of his aerial duels.
Tchouameni is the clear statistical winner among all players compared here. However, he’s also very likely to be the most expensive.
Kone, meanwhile, ranks second to his France teammate in several metrics, including passes completed and passing accuracy, while only Alex Scott won more ground duels in league play last season.
The 25-year-old could be a shrewd addition to the Man Utd midfield.
How do Squawka player ratings work?
Squawka’s player rating system is completely stats-based. Player scores are based on the numbers they put up across a range of on-ball events, from goals scored to tackles won.
Using extensive research and our expertise, we tailored each score to the players’ respective positions. For example, forwards are rated on metrics like shots on target, touches in the opposition box and big chances created. Meanwhile, centre-backs are rewarded for winning aerial duels, making blocks, successful long-range passes and so on.