5 players Manchester United need to sign this summer

#4 Jack Wilshere

Michael Carrick has called Old Trafford home since the summer of 2006 – for over a decade now – and while he’s been largely unheralded in his time in Manchester, he’s arguably been the man who has kept the team ticking over the years, playing the role of the pass master from the middle of the park. The problem is that at the age of 35, Carrick is clearly miles past his prime and while pace was never a strength of his, it’s a question as to how much longer he can last.

With that in mind, United may feel that they need a new deep-lying midfield maestro. And if that’s the case then they could always go to their bitter rivals Arsenal and make a play for the man labelled the “new Gascoigne”, Jack Wilshere. While he didn’t make as many headlines in 2016/17 on a season-long loan to Bournemouth, Wilshere did prove that away from Arsenal, he can at least stay fit – he managed 27 games, the most he’s played since 2013/14.

When he’s fit and healthy nobody can deny Wilshere’s talents – look at his performance for Arsenal against Barcelona in 2011, his goal of the season against Norwich in 2013/14 and his best showing in an England shirt, against Slovenia away in June 2015. While he might not be an exact replacement for Carrick – Roy Hodgson played Wilshere as a deep-lying midfielder for England to mixed results – a midfield of a fit Wilshere and Paul Pogba would be formidable indeed and should make Jose Mourinho consider the move.