Carragher Questions Manchester United's Midfielder Choice

Jamie Carragher says Manchester United got the wrong midfielder.

While Old Trafford has welcomed six new signings under Michael Carrick this summer, the former Liverpool defender is adamant the club should have pushed the boat out for Mateus Fernandes instead of landing Youri Tielemans.

United had tracked Fernandes, only to walk away when West Ham and Tottenham agreed a guaranteed £85m fee. Spurs stepped in, United stepped back.

Carrick’s side then moved quickly. A £43m deal for Atalanta’s Ederson collapsed after a medical issue, and United pounced on what many see as a bargain: £35m to take Tielemans from Aston Villa. Andrey Santos also arrived from Chelsea for £50m to further thicken the midfield.

Carragher isn’t convinced they chose the right prize.

“I was a little bit worried when I saw United linked with Fernandes because I thought that could be a good signing,” he said on The Overlap Fan Debate. He kept coming back to the number. And the age.

“I just looked at him and his age and was surprised United didn't go for Fernandes. They said it was too expensive but was it that expensive?

“I know £85m is a lot but you’re never going to get a really top midfielder now for £50m.”

That’s the crux of his argument: pay the premium for the peak years, or accept you’re shopping in a different aisle.

Tielemans, 29, is no gamble. He’s a known quantity. Since arriving at Leicester City from Monaco in 2019, he has racked up 244 Premier League appearances, then left on a free for Villa after Leicester’s relegation in 2023. A decorated, technically gifted operator with a long CV in English football.

Yet Carragher can’t shake the feeling United are late to the party.

He described watching the Super Cup while flicking channels and landing on Manchester United’s friendly with Leeds on ITV. Tielemans was on corner duty. That’s when the thought hit him.

“It just came to me a little bit – Tielemans was taking a corner, and it come to me, he's a good player, don’t get me wrong.

“But you'd almost feel like he should have been at United a few years ago, then gone to Villa – not being at Villa, then gone to United.

“I'm not saying he's had his best days, but it almost felt like the wrong way round. The last three years should have been at United, and then he gets sold to Villa.”

It’s a pointed criticism: United, in Carragher’s eyes, are buying the version of Tielemans they once passed on, not the one they should have built around.

Not everyone agrees.

Inside the game, Tielemans’ £35m move has been hailed as one of the standout deals of the window. John Obi Mikel went as far as to call him the “signing of the season”, stunned by the price.

“For me, it's Youri Tielemans. Honestly... how the f*** did Manchester United get him for £35million? That's a f****** steal,” the former Chelsea midfielder said.

Mikel highlighted Tielemans’ versatility and football intelligence. “Obviously, we all know how Tielemans plays, he can play as a six, an eight or a 10 and when you have a player that can play anywhere, it gives you the variety to change the way you want to play. Tielemans is that guy.

“He scores goals, he's dangerous from set pieces, he's brilliant on the ball, and he rarely gives it away. The only thing people can say is that he's not the quickest, but he reads the game so well.

“He is very intelligent with and without the ball. When I look at all the midfielders that have transferred to different clubs [this summer], the best one is Tielemans.”

Former United goalkeeper Ben Foster backed that view, echoing the “signing of the summer” tag.

“I still think Youri Tielemans is the signing of the summer so far. What a bit of business that is. I’ve been watching the window so far - Tottenham and Arsenal spending a lot of money, but I still think Tielemans is the best signing.

“For £35million, he is a ready-made, good to go, starting 11 player and I think if you can spend that money on a starter, it is worth every single penny.”

So the debate is set.

On one side, Carragher, arguing United should have stretched to £85m for Fernandes and secured what he sees as a top-tier, long-term midfield fulcrum. On the other, Mikel and Foster, insisting United have already pulled off the coup of the window with Tielemans at less than half that price.

Carrick now has his man. The question is whether, in two or three years’ time, Old Trafford will be talking about Tielemans as the bargain that underpinned a new era – or looking enviously at Fernandes and wondering if this was the summer they thought too small.