Ryan Giggs has urged Michael Carrick to sign Adam Wharton this summer, claiming that the Crystal Palace midfielder already 'looks like a Manchester United player'. United are in the market to sign a new central midfielder this summer with Casemiro due to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season.
Giggs Backs Wharton and Anderson
Giggs believes Wharton, who is valued at £70 million by Palace, should be one of United's priorities in the summer window but insists his former club should sign two midfielders, with Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest a prime candidate.
'First of all we've got to deal with our players who have gone out on loan, Rashford, Sancho, Hojlund, we've got all them to deal with, but the priority is definitely midfield, I can see definitely two,' Giggs said in an interview with Webby & O'Neill. 'It looks like Mainoo is going to stay, Casemiro is going to go, Ugarte is going to go, and we need to strengthen midfield without a shadow of a doubt.'
'I always like a left-footer in the team so I wouldn't argue with Wharton, I think he looks, to me, like a Man United player. Somebody who can handle the ball, passes forward, runs forward, Premier League experience, all of them have got Premier League experience, so I wouldn't be against that.'
'Anderson I like as well, solid player. Plays every game, I can see a Wharton and Mainoo, an Anderson and Wharton, I can see all of those scenarios, it just depends, British players are a lot of money and what we're able to spend. But we need two midfielders.'
Support for Carrick as Manager
Giggs has also urged United's hierarchy to keep Carrick as manager and to not look at alternatives such as Luis Enrique, Julian Nagelsmann or Oliver Glasner. 'The hardest thing in the world as a manager is to win games and he's doing that,' Giggs said. 'Not only that, just the feeling around the place, we were going to games and watching games not knowing what we were going to get. It's all changed now, fans are coming to games now or watching TV thinking, 'right, we've got a massive chance here'.'
'The turnaround has been amazing. I think we were all like, well I was, 'we need seven or eight players', to now maybe needing three or four in the summer, which is more achievable than seven or eight players.'
'There's no… I can't see past Michael at the moment, I just can't. I think he's brought a calmness, I think he'll bring in Man United players because he knows the club. Give him time I think he goes from strength to strength.'
