Manchester United beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4-2 last time out, marking the first time under Ruben Amorim that they have won three consecutive Premier League games.
The additions of Brian Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesco and Matheus Cunha have had a positive impact on the team, with all three having a direct involvement in at least one goal against Brighton.
INEOS are aware of the impact that signing high-quality, ready-to-play players can have on a team, and that may be relevant to the signing of Adam Wharton.
Adam Wharton’s latest update on Manchester United
It was recently reported that the Crystal Palace central midfielder has overtaken Brighton star Carlos Baleva on Manchester United’s final target list ahead of the January transfer window.
According to the report, Amorim are looking to strengthen their options for the second half of the 2025-26 Premier League season and are keen to sign the left-footed English star due to his direct style of play in the center of the park and forward passing.
However, it has been reported that it could take a fee of up to £100m to convince the Eagles to part ways with Wharton, which would surpass United’s club-record £89m deal for Paul Pogba.
But instead of spending the club’s record fee on the Crystal Palace star, Manchester United could discover their own version of Wharton by working with Koby Mainu to improve his game.
Why Koby Mainu could be Manchester United’s Adam Wharton
The England international, who was described as “fearless” by Under-23 scout Antonio Mango, has yet to start a Premier League game this season after manager Amorim said he was competing with Bruno Fernandes for a starting spot.
However, the Portuguese head coach could solve that problem by coaching Mainu to excel as his own version of Wharton, as a holding midfielder second only to the captain, as the young midfielder has some of the necessary qualities to perform in that position.
The 20-year-old star, who Mungo also said has made “tremendous development” at United, needs to improve his forward passing and creativity in possession, two areas where Wharton outperforms him.
Last 365 days (per 90) | Adam Wharton | Coby Mainu |
|---|---|---|
Pass accuracy | 74.4% | 86.3% |
The action that creates the shot | 3.80 | 2.85 |
Expected number of assist goals | 0.31 | 0.11 |
progressive path | 5.57 | 3.62 |
progressive carry | 1.15 | 1.75 |
successful take-up | 0.48 | 1.10 |
The tackle I made | 1.83 | 2.59 |
Percentage of dribblers tackled | 40.6% | 58.1% |
Statistics by FBref | ||
As you can see from the table above, Wharton has more shot-created actions and progressive passes per 90 than Mainu, based on stats over the past year, showing that the Red Devils’ youngsters are developing what needs to be developed.
However, the United academy graduate offers the team a higher defensive quality than the Palace man, winning more tackles and having a much higher success rate of attempted tackles, suggesting he has the physical edge to fill the role next to Bruno.
Mainu’s progressive carry and take-on success rate of .90, especially compared to Wharton, suggests he has the direct play in the center of the park that Amorim hopes to sign the Eagles midfielder.
The 20-year-old star’s stats show he possesses some impressive qualities that could make him ideal for the role the club could potentially appoint Wharton to if he can work on his progressive passing and creativity in the final third.
Rather than spend over £100m on a star player from Palace, United could look within their squad to coach Maynou and help develop him into a £100m worth midfielder by overcoming his weaknesses and developing him into a full-fledged star.