Ederson U-turn leaves Man Utd with issue Mainoo and Andrey Santos can't fix

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Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

Manchester United have pulled out of a deal to sign Ederson from Atalanta, blowing a major hole in the plans of manager Michael Carrick a month before the Premier League season begins.

Brazil international Ederson had been lined up as a shrewd addition to the Red Devils’ midfield, an area in drastic need of surgery following the departure of Casemiro as a free agent and a serious injury to Manuel Ugarte.

While Andrey Santos is in the process of moving to Old Trafford from Chelsea, Carrick faces the prospect of being left with a familiar shortcoming that neither the incoming Brazilian nor Kobbie Mainoo can solve.

Current ETV

Éderson

M (C)

Atalanta

Éderson

M (C)

Atalanta

€33.2M

ETV Range

€29.9M - €36.6M

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What happened to Ederson?

United have pulled out of their move for Ederson because of concerns over his physical condition.

Extensive checks have been conducted on the 27-year-old, who was due to arrive in a deal worth €40 million, but these have not proven satisfactory.

Medical confidentiality means that the exact nature of the issues is unlikely to be made public, though The Times reports a troublesome knee is the reason for the deal breaking down.

The decision is a monumental one for the Old Trafford side, who seemed set to make the Atalanta star a centrepiece of their side next term.

Fabrizio Romano explained: “Atalanta have received a formal communication about the Ederson deal being off. Ederson to Manchester United is not happening.

“Man Utd wanted to do extra checks on the player and they decided, after several sessions of medical tests, that Ederson had to go back to Italy.”

For Ederson, it represents a second major setback of the summer, having previously been close to joining Atletico Madrid before that deal broke down.

Carrick faces familiar problem

Ederson’s failed medical leaves Carrick with a major issue at the heart of his Man Utd side – but it’s one that he’s coped with before.

A lack of mobility in the heart of the field promises to be a fundamental problem for the Red Devils next season. One of the major advantages that Ederson was supposed to bring to the team was both his engine and his capacity to cover ground.

Although Andrey Santos is arriving from Chelsea, this is not one of the strengths of United’s new signing. Meanwhile, this flaw in Mainoo’s game was one of the chief reasons he was not more extensively used by previous manager Ruben Amorim.

Carrick has, therefore, been left with the same concern he had last term when he often used Casemiro and Mainoo as his central midfield pair.

United forced into transfer rethink

United were going to be in the market for another midfielder regardless of Ederson’s situation. A marquee signing is expected in this area.

The profile of that addition, though, has changed due to this development. Any incoming player to the midfield simply must be quick enough to complement Mainoo and Andrey Santos, else Carrick faces the prospect of his team simply being overrun through the middle.

While there’s still plenty of time to address the problem, the breakdown of the deal to sign Ederson nevertheless represents a substantial blow to Man Utd just days before pre-season training begins at Carrington.