Last weekend, Manchester United made headlines when they revealed the surprise signing of Omar Berrada from rivals Manchester City. The highly-regarded player was introduced as the new CEO at Old Trafford, succeeding departing Richard Arnold.

Previously serving as City Group’s Chief Football Operations Officer, Berrada has been an essential member of the Etihad team for the past ten or so years, helping to build a team that has dominated the Premier League and won five of the last six league titles.

As painful as it is for United to acknowledge, the team must attempt to emulate the achievements of their city rivals within their own 11-year league title drought. Berrada should be able to contribute his evident experience to the table at the Theatre of Dreams.

The recruitment process is one area of the Red Devils’ internal operations that this announcement appointment may assist to enhance. Berrada was a key player in the 2022 signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.

The next manager may be able to duplicate that achievement at Old Trafford by bringing in a big player soon after taking over from Rodri, another powerful City figure.

Man Utd is attempting to sign Rodri

Federico Redondo, a 20-year-old Argentine who has recently drawn attention with his performances for Argentinos Juniors in his native country, is being targeted by a number of elite European clubs, including United, according to a TEAMtalk story earlier this month.

Federico Redondo Juniors Argentininos
Real Madrid and Liverpool are also said to be admiring the 6′ 2″ jewel, and Erik ten Hag’s team may be able to acquire him this month for an only £8 million, which is a reasonable price in the current market.

Berrada, who will probably start his new role at the end of the season, could lead the charge to sign Redondo this summer if a deal is not done before the window closes. A deal this cheap would probably signal the club’s departure from its recent, expensive, and disorganised transfer policy.

Premier League-Haaland-Trophy
How Rodri and Redondo are similar

In 2019, Berrada played a role in mediating the transfer of Rodri from Atletico Madrid, where the Spaniard signed for a reported £62.8 million, despite United’s purported interest at the time.

Since winning the competition to sign the former Villarreal player, City has undoubtedly prospered. According to manager Pep Guardiola, Rodri has even scored the game-winning goal in the Champions League final of the previous season, making him possibly the “best” player in the world of football.

Manchester City, Liverpool, Kimmich, and Rodri
The Red Devils may therefore be able to discover their own midfield monster in Redondo, the Argentine U20 international who has been compared to the City great by talent scout Jacek Kulig. Redondo is the obvious successor to the 27-year-old.

Journalist Roy Nemer called the £8 million playmaker “something special,” and he can be the engine of Ten Hag’s midfield. His ball-playing average over the last 365 days has been 7.07 progressive passes per 90, which is comparable to Rodri’s 9.63 per 90 in Manchester.

Like the 6′ 3″ Rodri, the defensive-minded player is a towering presence and a genuine “midfield controller,” according to Kulig. He can control the tempo of a game, much like the former Atleti player, who Kulig praised for being a “deep-lying orchestrator.”

Rodri was a key player in Man City’s treble victory last season, appearing in 56 games across all competitions. United should be pursuing this kind of skill, which is why it makes sense to sign Redondo as the ideal replacement.