Omar Berrada expects Manchester United to replicate last summer’s transfer business with a “clear plan” to blend youth and experience from inside and outside of the Premier League.United this week reached an agreement to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson for €40.5million ($47m; £35m), with a potential €4.5m ($5m; £4m) in add-ons, and are monitoring several Premier League targets including West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes and Lewis Hall of Newcastle United.Last year, United signed Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brentford respectively, followed by younger talents Benjamin Sesko (from RB Leipzig) and Senne Lammens (Antwerp).Speaking to the club’s Inside Carrington podcast, chief executive Berrada, 48, said that United plan to follow the same formula this summer.“I think the template for what we did last summer will be replicated in many ways,” Berrada said. “You always go into a window, you don’t know how you’re going to come out of it, but you have to be really prepared.“You have to have a clear plan. You have to know exactly what positions you’re looking to strengthen, and you also have to be prepared for any eventuality. There could be exits that we are not expecting. There can be opportunities in the market that perhaps weren’t there at the beginning, so we have to be ready.“We have to be agile and flexible, but we have a clear plan. Jason Wilcox (United’s director of football) and his team are very well set up to execute that plan, and I do think that what we saw last season is a good way forward for us, to mix experience and youth.“We want players that have demonstrated they can perform in the Premier League, and perhaps also with players that are doing very well outside the Premier League, but we will always do it within our terms and ensuring that whatever decision we take is not just for the short term.”Berrada said former head coach Ruben Amorim “deserves credit” for his work in laying the foundations for this season’s third-place Premier League finish, despite believing that a change in the dugout was necessary.Amorim was dismissed in January following a breakdown in relations behind the scenes with Wilcox and replaced on temporary basis by Michael Carrick, who led a turnaround in results that resulted in the former United midfielder being appointed United’s new permanent manager last month.Berrada said Amorim’s tenure was not “black or white” in terms of success, but added the Portuguese coach “deserves credit for many things”.“He was put under difficult circumstances, but he did help raise the standards in the dressing room, so I think he deserves credit for that,” United’s CEO said.Amorim exited United in January after 14 months (Carl Recine/Getty Images)Berrada added that he has a “very good relationship” with both Sir Jim Ratcliffe, United’s influential minority owner, and co-chairman Joel and Avram Glazer, who “positively surprised” him with their vision for the club during talks in January 2024 leading up to his appointment.Under Ratcliffe’s minority ownership, United have embarked on a range of cost-cutting measures including two rounds of redundancies, as well as controversial ticket price rises in order to improve the club’s financial picture.When asked about those measures, Berrada said that “the worst is behind us” and apologised for telling staff after the first round of job cuts that there would not be a second.“What I see now is a group of about 700 staff, very talented, very dedicated people that are fully committed to what we’re trying to achieve as a club. And I think that puts us now in a really good place to be optimistic about what’s ahead of us,” he added.Jun 4, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms