£100m valued wonderkid proves Man Utd right over Sander Berge interest, Ineos have a plan

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The most recent Championship player Manchester United signed was Dan James.

But with Manchester United looking to trust recruitment staff and move away from big-name signings, it appears that Championship business could be occurring this summer.

This comes as Sander Berge has emerged to be a top target in midfield for Erik ten Hag’s side this summer – following on from the failure to get PSG to reduce their asking price for Manuel Ugarte.

Berge is currently in the Championship for Burnley, but this does not mean he would come cheap with the Clarets looking for £30m to sell.

However, one club’s recent success recruiting from the Championship will have given Ineos the blueprint to success.

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Adam Wharton shows Manchester United the way forward

Ineos will have seen United’s recruitment over the past decade or more and immediately knew things had to change.

This is why it is quite refreshing to see the interest in Berge who is far from a big name, and being a Championship player isn’t a name we expected United to go for.

That being said Crystal Palace have proven that there is quality to sign from the Championship with Adam Wharton being the latest glowing example of this.

The midfielder arrived at Selhurst Park in January for a mere £20m and yet already his value has reached £100m already.

Palace are experts in this department with Michael Olise and Ebere Eze also being signings plucked straight out of the Championship – this brilliance may have played a role in why United tried to recruit Dougie Freedman.

But this does show that signing Championship players can be strokes of genius and proves United right to want to sign Berge, Ineos have a plan.

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Ineos are spot on by targeting Berge

For United, it has become quite clear that signing big names or buying other elite clubs unwanted players does not work.

This is why the club are completely justified in the decision to target less notable or flashy players – it could be that it is the move which brings the club back to greatness.

Aside from Berge’s status in football and the club he plays for, he is perfect in so many ways so it would not make sense to overlook him simply for being in the Championship.

If United sign Berge, it will likely end up a better move than the likes of Casemiro in recent years – and it is nice to finally see the club recruiting smartly.