Manchester United have Wharton locally and the 18-year-old is lighting up Carrington

For a club that previously had the likes of Paul Scholes and Roy Keane, they both play in midfield Manchester United It has now been a cause for concern for a long time, amid a series of erroneous additions to this section.

Since the days of Scholes himself, or even more recently Michael Carrick, the Red Devils have seen a lot of turmoil in midfield, with the emergence of the longest stable duo of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, in the form of Fred and Scott McTominay – two players nicknamed “Not good enoughWritten by Ken.

£89 million was spent On Paul Pogba. £40m was paid to sign Donny van de Beek. Meanwhile, the aging Casemiro has joined for a fee that could reach £70m, having since been joined at Old Trafford by fellow South American Manuel Ugarte in a £50m deal.

So much investment, but such little reward Reuben Amorim He left with a formation that was not suitable for his 3-4-2-1 playing system, and has not yet settled on the first partner for the permanent captain, Bruno Fernandes, in the second midfield.

There may be a feeling that United will regret their recruitment decisions this summer, having focused everything on a new attacking line featuring Benjamin Sisko, Matheus Cunha and Brian Mbeumo, albeit neglecting to strengthen the engine room.

While the INEOS hierarchy was courting A £100 million plus the transfer of Brighton’s Carlos PalebaNo such deal has been reached, with recent suggestions suggesting the club may have now turned their attention to another Premier League star – Adam Wharton.

Latest news of Manchester United’s interest in Adam Wharton

It has become a common theme in the last decade or so of United being reluctant to move for a player in his youth, only to then have to pay big for that talent later on.

In fact, the Red Devils were close to offering youngster Moises Caicedo from his native Ecuador for a fee A paltry fee of just £4malbeit with complications surrounding his representatives who see the midfielder move to the AMEX instead. Now he is the “best” midfielder in the English Premier League, According to Gary Neville.

Even Cisco’s £74m arrival this summer was offered to United for a fraction of that amount. At a cost of 2.5 million pounds sterlingagain in 2019, although the powers that be once again reject that opportunity.

A recurring scenario seems to have occurred regarding Wharton Respected journalist Andy Mitten After it was revealed that the Old Trafford outfit had been offered the chance to sign the England international ahead of his exit from Blackburn Rovers, only to have doubts about the optics of signing the inexperienced figure from the Championship.

The 21-year-old eventually joined current side Crystal Palace for a fee that rose to £22m in February 2024, since enjoying a meteoric rise that included earning a place in the Euro 2024 squad that summer, while also playing his part in the Eagles winning FA Cup glory last season.

Although he has yet to establish himself at international level, the silky left-footer is one of the brightest talents in the Premier League, with reports over the summer suggesting he was. It is considered a viable alternative to Baliba United’s midfield search.

The latest claim is that Amorim and his teammates can look forward to Submit a bid worth £60 million For the youngster in 2026, although previous reports suggested the Conference League side would be looking for more than £100m for their prized possession.

Although Wharton’s familiarity with playing in midfield will be beneficial, it remains to be seen whether he is worth such a big outlay. Could Amorim consider joining the academy instead?

Why could Jack Fletcher be Wharton Manchester United?

The lack of promotion into the academy has been a glaring issue in the Portuguese’s tenure so far, with the 40-year-old perhaps sharing Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s view that the youth ranks have ‘Really slipped“Late.

While the former Sporting Lisbon coach named eight teenagers on the bench during the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in February, amid the first-team’s injury crisis, only Chido Obi, Harry Abmas and Tyler Frederiksson made their debuts during his tenure.

With the midfield looking to lack depth in the starting XI, with Kobe Maino rounding out the quartet of Casemiro, Fernandes and Ugarte, this is certainly one area of ​​the pitch where internal reinforcements may be needed.

There are high hopes for Sekou Kone, who was signed for just £1m last summer, although in terms of Wharton’s home-grown production, it is 18-year-old Jack Fletcher who undoubtedly fits the bill.

The teenage playmaker, son of the former United star and current Under-18s coach, joined the club from rivals Manchester City alongside his twin brother Tyler in 2023, representing a real coup for those at Old Trafford.

While he is yet to make his debut, Jack – who has featured for England at youth level – was part of the matchday squad for that night away to Tottenham earlier this year, having made the bench for five league games in total in 2024/25.

An elegant left-winger, in the Wharton style, Fletcher’s brief promotion was just reward for a good all-round season in the academy, with 15 goals and two assists in 22 appearances scored across all fronts, according to Transfermarkt.

The most notable of those appearances undoubtedly came in the Premier League Cup away to Barnsley, where the 5ft 11 midfielder scored twice to complete an impressive comeback for United’s Under-21s, including scoring a stunning volley from distance from a volley.

This season has seen Fletcher move between a midfield and left-back role, although he has already scored twice in all competitions, representing a creative and forward-looking outlet wherever he is deployed on the pitch.

Although his recent switch as a full-back suggests a potential future at full-back for Amorim, Fletcher is likely to flourish as a left midfielder, with analyst Ben Mattinson suggesting he “Whatever you want“For this final round.

A player who “glides around the pitch with elegance and power”, according to Mattinson, the teenager’s resemblance to Wharton is clear, with United potentially saving themselves huge expense if they look to those at Carrington instead.

Having already missed their chance with Wharton in the past, perhaps the Red Devils should view the Palace man as a ship that has sailed. They already have their own future midfield star in Fletcher anyway.