Manchester United are being linked with countless different midfielders this week after missing out on two top targets, but not every link makes sense.
Ineos are in unfamiliar territory at Manchester United this summer, after a poor start to the transfer window sees them on the back foot.
Having seen Mateus Fernandes move to Tottenham for a fee of £85m, and then Sandro Tonali also joining Spurs for £100m, United have lost two top targets.
The result of this is that United are now being linked with countless other possible signings. But Ineos needs to avoid some of these options, as not all are good ideas, such as Neil El Aynaoui.
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Neil El Aynaoui would be a poor signing for Manchester United
According to TEAMtalk, El Aynaoui has impressed United during the World Cup for Morocco.
United are alongside Liverpool and other Premier League clubs in showing an interest in the Roma midfielder, but we are hoping that Ineos doesn’t act on this.
For starters, United should be signing Ayyoub Bouaddi from that Morocco side or nobody at all.
El Aynaoui is a hard worker in midfield and is also quite good on the ball. But at 25, he isn’t the level United need, and actually comes too close to Ederson in his profile to warrant both arriving.
But the main reason United shouldn’t be moving for El Aynaoui is that United have been stung before with World Cup breakout players, from Morocco as well.
At the start of the 2023/24 season, United loaned Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina for an £8.5m loan fee, and it was a really poor move as he struggled to add the quality he showed at the 2022 World Cup.
Signing El Aynaoui based on a World Cup campaign, from Serie A, would be a repeat of this. Although Serie A in general is a risk, and with Ederson already coming in, United can’t have two.
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Ederson already proved he’s better than El Aynaoui
Given the narrative around Ederson at times, some might say they would prefer El Aynaoui over him.
But when the two went head-to-head, Ederson was the clear winner of that battle.
The pair clashed on the 18th of April in Serie A as Atalanta hosted Roma, with the pair starting in midfield against each other.
Here is how they each fared.
Ederson vs Neil El Aynaoui (Atalanta vs Roma April 18th 2026)
| Ederson | Statistic | El Aynaoui |
| 7.2 | Sofascore rating | 6.3 |
| 80 | Minutes | 60 |
| 3 | Shots | 1 |
| 43/52 | Pass completion | 41/43 |
| 1 | Key passes | 2 |
| 65 | Touches | 54 |
| 1/1 | Dribbles success | 1/3 |
| 14 | Carries | 15 |
| 3 | Defensive contributions | 1 |
| 2/2 | Tackles | 0/0 |
| 7 | Recoveries | 3 |
| 7/9 | Duels won | 1/9 |
This alone is enough to shut down the interest in El Aynaoui, as we’ve signed the better version of the two already this summer in Ederson.
United won’t risk two Serie A players in midfield this summer, and so that should end the interest in El Aynaoui before it even gets started.
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