Man Utd are in for the wrong Brighton midfielder, Sweden vs Tunisia showed Baleba’s teammate is elite

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Manchester United’s links with Carlos Baleba have refused to go away, but they should be targeting his teammate instead.

The midfield rebuild at Man Utd has kick-started with Ederson, and should take the next step with Mateus Fernandes arriving from West Ham.

Depending on the sales, a third midfielder might be needed, which is where Carlos Baleba links have persisted.

However, after watching Sweden vs Tunisia, it’s clear that Man Utd will be better off exploring a deal for Baleba’s Brighton teammate instead.

Yasin Ayari is the real deal at Brighton

Brighton’s factory has developed another gem in Yasin Ayari, and Sweden’s 5-1 win against Tunisia showed he’s the real deal.

Ayari put in a dream defensive midfield performance, keeping things ticking in possession, cleaning up attacks with defensive actions, and scoring two goals from outside the box.

He finished the game with 50 touches, six defensive actions, two goals, and a highlight-reel-worthy array of press-resistance.

Ayari always showed for the ball to act as a release valve for Sweden whenever they were pressed by Tunisia.

His battle against former United man Hannibal was a joy to watch, as each ran the midfield for their respective countries.

Ayari opened and closed the scoring for Sweden in their 5-1 win, while Hannibal assisted Tunisia’s sole goal to mark his performance.

Man Utd must keep tabs on Ayari

The Swedish midfielder had a brilliant PL campaign for Brighton last season, scoring thrice and assisting thrice in just 29 games, which is a remarkable return for a midfielder.

Interestingly, his contract expires next summer, so Brighton are in a tricky position as he’s started off the World Cup in hot form.

If he keeps this up, United must keep tabs on him and tempt Brighton into cashing in on a hot prospect as he enters the final 12 months of the contract.

At 22, and with multiple seasons of PL experience in the bag, he fits the Ineos profile perfectly. By the end of the window, United might sign a Brighton midfielder, but it won’t be the one who has been linked since last summer.