John Obi Mikel Predicts Adam Wharton Will Join Manchester United

John Obi Mikel has nailed his colours to the mast over Adam Wharton – and he’s picked Manchester United as the midfielder’s next destination. Just not this year.

Wharton, 22 and valued at around £60 million by Transfermarkt, stayed put at Crystal Palace through the summer window despite a long queue of admirers. United were among the clubs tracking him, but when it came to hard decisions and hard cash, they walked away.

United chose a different midfield rebuild

INEOS made their move in a different direction. Rather than launching a bid for Wharton, they ripped up Michael Carrick’s midfield and rebuilt it around Andrey Santos, Carlos Baleba and Youri Tielemans, paying a combined upfront fee of £148 million.

Wharton, meanwhile, remains the jewel in Palace’s midfield. Calm on the ball, progressive in possession and already central to their plans, he’s turned into the kind of player big clubs usually circle for months before striking.

Mikel has already seen enough.

On his podcast, the former Chelsea and Nigeria midfielder didn’t hold back: “I love him! I love Adam Wharton, I'm a big, big fan. “I think he's going to go places, though, I think next season he will leave Crystal Palace. I think they want to keep him for one more season. I see him going to Manchester United next season.”

That’s a bold call. And it cuts against the direction United appear to be heading in.

Wharton admiration vs United reality

For all the praise and all the scouting, Wharton is no longer viewed as a concrete target at Old Trafford.

United’s summer business in midfield was heavy and expensive. With Santos, Baleba and Tielemans already through the door, the expectation inside INEOS is that next year’s focus shifts away from the middle of the pitch and onto the back line.

That defensive reshuffle never came this summer. No new defenders arrived for Carrick, a decision that raised eyebrows given the demands of a season that now includes Champions League football. One serious injury in defence and the entire campaign could tilt.

That’s the calculated risk INEOS have taken. It also shapes what comes next.

Eyes on Lewis Hall and life after Luke Shaw

As things stand, United’s priority signing for 2027 is believed to be Lewis Hall.

The versatile left-sided defender is viewed internally as the ideal long-term successor to Luke Shaw, now 31 and into the final nine months of his contract at Old Trafford. That looming decision at left-back only tightens the focus on the defensive rebuild.

So while Mikel sees Wharton striding out at Old Trafford in United red next season, the club’s current trajectory points elsewhere – towards shoring up a fragile back line and planning for a future without Shaw.