Manchester United are known to be heavily interested in Nottingham Forest star No. 8 Elliot Anderson, but they are now also interested in his teammate Ibrahim Sangare, according to a new report from veteran Premier League journalist Steve Bate
With Manuel Ugarte producing another disasterclass of a season, Mason Mount still struggling for form, Christian Eriksen gone to Wolfsburg, and Casemiro nearing retirement, Manchester United are still in need of a talent injection at the base of their midfield.
Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba, and Anderson are the three big names linked to Man United as midfield solutions, and the Red Devils could very well sign two quality midfielders this coming summer 2026 transfer window.
Sangare has not been as big of a star this season as his teammate Anderson, but he’s also been very impressive in that defensive midfield role, showing a lot of composure on the ball in recent matches, including the Europa League trouncing of Fenerbahce this past week.
This season, Sangare is averaging three combined tackles and interceptions per game with four total goal contributions and a healthy average of about 88.7 percent of his passes completed.
The problem is that Sangare is already 28 years old and is clearly no prospect. He’s also a pure defensive midfielder, and while he is great at winning the ball and a crisp passer of the ball under pressure, he isn’t really creative, nor does he progress play.
Sangare is a good player, but he’s a good player for a mid-table club like Forest and not at the quality of a starting defensive midfielder for Manchester United. They will likely look elsewhere at players like Baleba or even Joao Gomes instead.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.