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Manchester United are lacking balance in the middle of the park, and opposition teams are taking advantage of the gaps being left by Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, who have been Ruben Amorim’s go-to midfield pairing.

The head coach knew this would happen, which is why he instructed INEOS to try and sign Carlos Baleba, but Brighton and Hove Albion stood firm on their valuation, and a move never materialised.

Adam Wharton, Elliot Anderson, and Conor Gallagher emerged as alternate targets, but in the end, no midfielder was signed before the window slammed shut.

United are likely to fix that once the window reopens, but till then, it has been surprising to see the head coach’s lack of faith in Kobbie Mainoo.

While one academy graduate has failed to impress the Portuguese tactician, another could step up. Sekou Kone, of the Carrington’s brightest wonderkids, has caught the eye of Amorim.

So much so that a planned loan move was cancelled and he was kept at United. In fact, he was close to earning his senior debut last season, but this campaign could be the one for him.

Unfortunately, he suffered a serious injury while playing for the...