Manchester United are closing in on signing Ederson from Atalanta as Michael Carrick’s inaugural signing as head coach.
After a whirlwind week of transfer developments, Manchester United are close to signing Ederson in a move which will kick-start a very busy summer for the club.
United will pay £38m in total for Ederson this summer according to reports. He will arrive to bolster United’s squad rather than directly replacing Casemiro as the starter.
There is a lot to like about Ederson, yet not everyone is sold on the Brazilian as a signing. So United in Focus have spoken with Italian football expert Julian Faustini to learn more about Ederson from someone who has watched him plenty.
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Julian is a football writer and analyst specialising in Italian football and has now shared insight into Ederson.
“Ederson is an impressive box-to-box midfielder who covers an immense amount of ground and has superb stamina. He has an impeccable ability to recover the ball with his fine reading of the game”, he explained to begin.
“Although he’s not the fastest, Ederson has a fine-tuned technical ability, able to beat his man one v one and remain calm in tight spaces, maneuvering through his markers with that South American flair. He’s quite creative as he has impressive verticality with his passes and has good vision of the game from the central park.
“It will be interesting to see how he fits in the Premier League as it is a league that is much more fast-paced and direct compared to the Serie A, so it may take a bit of time for him to adjust.”
Moving onto the negatives, Julian explained his concerns for Ederson’s Premier League adaptability.
“In terms of weaknesses, I would say that his physique is not your typical holding midfielder, despite showing some strength and grit in the Serie A. It will be interesting to see if he can hold his ground in the Premier League, as he’s much more lean and slimmer compared to Casemiro.
“Furthermore, Ederson is not the most clinical midfielder as he is quite indecisive in the final third and not well known for his finishing.”
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Ederson could be exactly what Michael Carrick wants off the bench for United
Ederson has been wrote off far too quickly by Manchester United supporters, but the reviews of him from those who watch him are always glowing.
But with Ederson incoming at United, it’s time to start accepting his arrival and planning where he fits in.
Despite outrage, Ederson is not being signed as a starter in midfield instead being viewed as the option who can rotate with the starters.
In this role, United have identified him as a top option likely because of his brilliant running ability and solid passing.
Michael Carrick needs midfielders who can come off the bench and see out victories – which he would have hoped Manuel Ugarte could do.
Ederson offers this, coming on to work really hard, chase balls and make United a deal who don’t fade, as was often the case with Casemiro at the back end of his United career.
Ederson will be a good signing, especially once the club make it clear there is a marquee midfielder on the way.
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