Former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen has publicly called on his old club to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton this summer.
Meulensteen believes the 22-year-old possesses the technical qualities and composure that United desperately need in their engine room heading into the new season.
“I always like good, technically gifted footballers in the midfield,” Meulensteen said, making his admiration for the player clear during a recent interview.
“I’ve liked Adam Wharton for United for a while now because he is so good on the ball and very calm under pressure,” the former United coach continued.
“He finds any of those front five with one decisive pass, and he rips the opposition right open, and I love that,” Meulensteen added, outlining exactly why he rates the Palace man so highly.
United have been actively rebuilding their midfield this summer following Casemiro’s departure on a free transfer and Manuel Ugarte’s serious knee injury leaving a significant void.
The Red Devils failed to land top targets including Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes before completing moves for Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.
Having qualified for the Champions League, United are understood to want at least one additional midfielder to handle the demands of a packed fixture schedule next season.
Wharton, who joined Crystal Palace from Blackburn Rovers, has developed into one of the Premier League’s most reliable midfielders, winning an FA Cup, Conference League and Community Shield during his time at Selhurst Park.
The left-footed deep-lying playmaker is also capable of operating in a box-to-box role, offering threading passes between the lines, set-piece delivery and solid defensive contributions across the pitch.
His contract at Palace runs until 2029, placing the South London club in a strong negotiating position, with Transfermarkt valuing the England international at around £60 million.
Clubs including Tottenham, Manchester City and Arsenal have all been focused on midfield reinforcements this summer, yet none have made a concrete move for Wharton despite his evident quality.
Whether United ultimately act on Meulensteen’s advice and pursue the Palace star remains to be seen, but the 20-time English champions clearly need further midfield depth before the window closes.