Had Michael Carrick been in charge for the whole season there is a very realistic chance that Manchester United would have been challenging for the Premier League title.

Indeed, while Arsenal were crowned champions, from the day Carrick became the interim boss at Old Trafford, no team secured more points than the Red Devils in England's top-flight.

Does that bode well for next season? Of course it does, but there is always the fear that this situation could be an Ole Gunnar Solskjaer repeat. That said, the former midfielder does seem to have a bit more about him as a coach that the Norwegian did.

His calming demenour on the touchline is one of his best qualities and the players seem to love him. The attacking football in the back end of the season was excellent.

Will they be up there again next term? There's very little to suggest they won't be, particularly if they get their desired transfer business done.

New signing is already inbound for Man Utd

Casemiro's departure from Man United signals the need for a batch of new midfielders.

A few years ago it looked as though the Brazilian was done and dusted at the top level. "Leave the football before the football leaves you" was the famous quote from Jamie Carragher that still gets recycled to this day.

The legendary midfielder proved all his doubters wrong and on an individual level, enjoyed one of the best campaigns of his whole career during his final year at United. As many as nine goals, a career-best tally, was evidence of that.

His exit, therefore, leaves a huge hole in the middle of the pitch. Plenty of replacements have been sought, most notably Elliot Anderson but rivals Manchester City are favourites to get that one done.

West Ham's Mateus Fernandes is also a primary target with talks ongoing with the player's representatives. Another option is Brighton's Carlos Baleba. The Seagulls star has already agreed personal terms dating back to last summer and is ready to drop everything at a moment's notice to head to United.

They will all be hoping to follow Ederson through the door. Unless you've been living under a rock then you will be well familiar that the Red Devils are set to welcome the Brazilian.

The club are yet to officially confirm the move but Fabrizio Romano has revealed this weekend that there is nothing to worry about.

Clarifying when the finer details are set to be ironed out, Romano said on social media: "Man United and Atalanta have sealed all formal steps, Ederson is now a Red Devil. Deal also formally completed between clubs for €45m (£39m) total package, Ederson will sign after holidays as part of agreement." Romano further revealed on X that he "will sign" in July.

Why Ederson could be Man United's new Antonio Valencia

The plan for United this summer is to sign two or three midfield players so once the new season kicks off at the end of August, it will be fascinating to see whether the midfielder is in the starting lineup.

At the moment, he will walk into the team at the base of the midfield alongside Kobbie Mainoo but should a more marquee addition follow in central areas, the Brazilian may begin the campaign on the bench.

That doesn't mean he's a bad signing. After all, United really lacked depth in the middle of the park this season with Manuel Ugarte the only real back-up they had to Casemiro.

As it happens, the Uruguayan is set to follow his fellow South American out of Manchester, heightening the need for another signing alongside Ederson.

So, what could the 26-year-old offer to Carrick's side? Well, hailed as "the strongest defensive midfielder in the world" by Italian content creator Damiano Coccia, United are not going to lose any physicaility by welcoming the Atalanta man into the fold.

He ranks among the finest 13% of midfielders in Europe's top five leagues right now for defensive ground duels won per 90 minutes while he also ranks within the finest 21% for tackles and interceptions per 90.

If you analyse things closely, Ederson is not a game-changing signing. He's not going to be totally transformational to this United side.

Yet, there is a sense that he is very underrated and has been for quite some time now. All elite squads need players like him. Manchester United know that all too well having had players like cult hero Park Ji-Sung on their books and also former captain Antonio Valencia.

Coincidentally, Valencia replaced Carrick as captain and while it may not have been the most successful of periods in United's history, he is still held in high regard by the fanbase at Old Trafford.

Why? Well, there are a host of similarities to Ederson here. The midfielder, like Valencia, is not the flashiest of players. They are not the best players in the team.

What they are, however, are extremely dependable and extremely underrated players. They do not overcomplicate the game, they simplify things. They tend to be appreciated more behind the scenes than your typical every day fan who loves a TikTok compilation with heavy dubstep in the background.

Ederson will rarely give you a highlights package like that but he will do the dirty work extremely well. He'll give you leadership like Valencia did and while they played in two very different positions, they both had a robust set of physical tools to overpower the opposition.

Neither are the bulkiest of individuals. Ederson stands at 6 foot which isn't the tallest for a midfielder heading to the Premier League.

Alas, this is a mighty fine signing and all for just £39m. There is a sense this could be one of the biggest bargains of the summer if all goes to plan.