Man Utd are “discussing personal terms” to sign another Tevez

As Michael Carrick will know more than most, finishing third last season was a sign of progress but nothing more, and qualifying for the Champions League is no reason to be happy at Manchester United.

Even in these years, after Sir Alex Ferguson, United cannot allow standards and expectations to drop too much, something that the INEOS government may have contributed to, in retrospect, by keeping Ruben Amorim on board after the worst finish in the Premier League.

If there is anyone who deserves to keep the standards, the man is Carrick, the Englishman who was part of the greatest team ever between 2006 and 2009, a team led by the attack of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.

The Old Trafford side are still a long way from those heady days, however, little by little, the club will be hoping that the current crop will be competitive again, amid the search for players.

Man Utd are “discussing personal terms” for next summer’s signing

There is a quiet calm about United at the moment, following the confirmation of Carrick’s permanent appointment last month, a sense of stability after a turbulent couple of years under Amorim and Erik ten Hag.

The first signing is all but confirmed for Atalanta’s Ederson, with the only real delay in that possibly caused by the Brazilian’s late call-up to Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad.

There has also been talk of a move for West Ham United’s Crysencio Summerville, the Dutchman – who scored for the Netherlands against Japan last week – will be available for around £50m following the Hammers’ recent relegation.

It is club-mate Mateus Fernandes, 24, who remains United’s most important target, however, with Fabrizio Romano suggesting INEOS are still in active talks to sign the Portuguese international.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano confirmed the news that Tottenham Hotspur are now in the running, after talks with the player’s agent, although it is the Red Devils who remain in “direct talks”.

The hope will be that the Old Trafford side still have the edge, having already “discussed personal terms” with the 21-year-old, although this could be a deal to watch.

Why Fernandes could be an interesting Tevez counterpart at Man Utd

Forking out a reported £80m for a player who was relegated back to the Premier League may seem like a stretch, but United have begun to pick up some gems from struggling sides.

Back in 1993, for example, a certain Roy Keane left Nottingham Forest after entering the second division, and more recently, the aforementioned Tevez was snapped up by Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2007, after the Hammers had narrowly escaped survival.

At the time, the tireless Argentine had just completed a stunning first season with the Hammers, tying things up with a goal on the final day at Old Trafford to secure the Irons.

In fact, he only scored seven goals in 2006/07, all of which came from March onwards, yet the youngster’s talent was evident, having reached another level when he moved to Manchester.

The less said about what happened in 2009, the better, but it is hard to argue with the return of the South American of 48 goals and assists in 99 games under Ferguson’s watch, although not the star behind Rooney and Ronaldo.

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In the case of Fernandes, the former Southampton man also boasts a similar work ethic, or a terrier-like quality to his game that would make him instantly endearing to the Old Trafford faithful, as he was a shining light at the London Stadium last season.

Although, unlike Tevez, who operates as a deep-lying midfielder, there is an almost old-fashioned, do-it-all style to Fernandes’ game, and his work on the outside has seen him averaging 3.9 tackles per game in 2025/26 – ahead of Casemiro’s average of 3.5.

As was the case with Tevez, there is still some rawness to his game – he made four mistakes that led to a Premier League firing – yet there is an end product to match, as evidenced by his strong return of seven goals and assists in total.

After recent years of seeing the aging legs of Casemiro or Christian Eriksen in midfield, Fernandes will provide a youthful injection of energy and movement, providing the freshness this team has been crying out for.

It was signings like Tevez that helped lift Fergie’s side all those years ago, and the legendary Scot saw a diamond in the rough even after the Argentinian’s short spell in England before.

It sounds like a similar story could be on the cards for Fernandes, who is another bright Hammers talent who could burst onto the elite club next season.

Hopefully, he comes out red rather than white in August.