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One of the names being linked with Manchester United in this summers transfer window is West Ham United’s Edson Alvarez.
With speculation that Casemiro may be sold by the club, in fact it’s been reported that clubs in Saudi are after the Brazilian, there are questions over who would take over that defensive midfield role at Old Trafford.
Even if Casemiro stays, it’s clear that United need more energy and legs in the middle of the park.
The likes of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen are not getting any younger. Kobbie Mainoo has plenty of years in him, but he’s not got electric pace and also tends to play higher rather than at the base of the midfield. So it’s clear that United need a younger, more energetic option at defensive midfield.
Alvarez is a player who has been linked in that regards. The player is known to manager Erik ten Hag due to their time together at Ajax and has a highly productive first season in the English Premier League with The Hammers.
So naturally, his name has been brought up as an option.
The Mexico captain has now responded to the speculation while speaking to the press ahead of Mexico’s match against Jamaica at Copa America 2024.
“I can only tell you that I’m focused on what I have to do”, Alvarez responded when asked about the links to United.
“I know that the Copa America is a very important tournament where the eyes of the world are basically here.
“Later, there will be time to see what there is or what there isn’t.”
It seems that Alvarez was rightly coy on his future, while leaving the door open to a move.
With Mexico involved in a pretty important tournament, their captain should naturally damper down any rumours about his own future and that’s exactly what Alvarez has done. His comments do, however, tend to suggest that he’s open to review his options once the tournament is over and that could represent an opening for United.
Alvarez joined West Ham on a five year contract for a deal reported to be worth £35m. He’s had a strong first year and impressed many with his performances. West Ham will likely look to make a profit on the player despite having only played for the club for 12 months. So it will be interesting to see if United will think that the Mexican will provide good value for money or if they’ll look elsewhere.
