Ederson set for Atalanta exit, Manchester United confident of deal | OneFootball

Ederson is set to bid farewell to Serie A side Atalanta, ahead of his summer exit. Manchester United, in the meantime, are growing increasingly optimistic about landing the midfielder.

The Brazilian has had quite a journey in the Italian top-flight. Walter Sabatini brought him to Salernitana from Corinthians in January 2022. In just six months, Atalanta signed him and this sparked his rise to prominence, as he later won the Europa League, played for the national team and is one of the best midfielders in Serie A.

Gianluca Di Marzio has reported that Manchester United are confident about signing him this summer. They are also quite optimistic about signing Sandro Tonali, who can depart Newcastle United.

The report claims that Ederson is certain to leave La Dea. They play their last game of the season against Fiorentina tomorrow and the Brazilian will bid farewell to the Bergamo club during the tie.

Manchester United are very much in the lead for him, with Atletico Madrid now well behind despite having agreed personal terms in January.

Ederson not a direct Casemiro replacement

The British press has made it a point that Ederson is a direct Casemiro replacement, even if that isn’t really true. The Atalanta star isn’t a proper number six and adds more when playing as a number eight. That is where his best has always come in Atalanta colours, as Gian Piero Gasperini’s system handed him the freedom to carry the ball between the lines and find themselves in the final third.

That doesn’t mean Ederson can’t do a job at six. Gasperini’s system often had him play a dual role, making sure the 26-year-old dropped deepest, allowing for play to flow through him. This usually happened when another midfielder alongside him would bomb forward, leaving the defensive responsibility to the Brazilian.

At the same time, Ederson would be a more than reliable squad player for Manchester United. He can play alongside Kobbie Mainoo and even act as a back-up to him, while also filling in at number ten, which is a position he has comfortably played during his spell at Salernitana.

Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN