July it is! Manchester United confirms Ederson plan finalized, with Ancelotti converting him to right-back to assist Carrick.

Manchester United is set to announce Ederson's transfer as soon as his World Cup involvement with Brazil concludes. An agreement with Atalanta has been finalized for £39 million (€45 million), and he will be Carrick's first acquisition of the summer window.

The 26-year-old Ederson came off the bench in Brazil's second group match, a 3-0 win over Haiti, making his World Cup debut. Ancelotti's side has already secured a spot in the knockout stage as one of the 32 teams. Brazil will face Scotland in their final group match; if they finish top of Group C, they will play a round-of-32 match on June 29 against the runner-up of Group F, which could be the Netherlands, Japan, or Sweden.

If Brazil finishes second in Group C, they will also play a knockout match on the same day, facing the Group F winner. If they qualify as third in Group C, the match will be delayed by one day, with the opponent to be determined—possibly host Mexico or the winner of Group I, which includes France, Norway, Senegal, and Iraq.

Manchester United has already arranged the itinerary: once Brazil's World Cup journey ends, Ederson will fly directly to Manchester to complete the transfer procedures. However, the club acknowledges that the official announcement will most likely not happen until July at the earliest.

Meanwhile, FIFA regulations mandate a mandatory three-week rest period for players after major tournaments, which means Ederson will miss the early part of United's pre-season training. Non-World Cup players at United are due to report on July 6, by which time the World Cup will have reached the round of 16. Ederson will also certainly miss the two summer friendlies against Wrexham on July 18 and against Rosenborg on July 24.

United has scheduled a one-week training camp in Ireland starting August 9, which all World Cup participants can attend. After playing Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg, Sweden on August 8, the Red Devils will fly directly to Dublin and train until August 14, then travel to Wrocław, Poland for a final friendly against AC Milan, now managed by former manager Ruben Amorim. Ederson's participation in which matches will depend on his physical condition.

In 2018, Ederson's Brazilian predecessor Fred also secured a transfer to United before the World Cup. He completed the formalities just before the tournament because the 'Samba Squad' had a warm-up match against Croatia in Liverpool, after which they flew to Russia. Fred quickly traveled by car from Anfield to Manchester, underwent a medical at Carrington, took official photos, and signed a five-year contract.

Being a late addition to Brazil's World Cup squad disrupted Manchester United's original plans for Ederson. Carrick had hoped to have the new signing participate in the entire pre-season training and matches to integrate earlier. However, Ederson's World Cup stint is not without benefits; he replaced Roma right-back Wesley, and Ancelotti has been training and playing the midfielder-turned-Red-Devil-prospect as a right-back during sessions and matches!

Brazil's 'Globo' reports that this is because Ederson possesses excellent running ability and ball-winning skills, along with accurate crossing. Ancelotti believes he can be useful on the flank. In the match against Haiti, Ederson came on as a substitute and indeed played as a right-back, fitting his jersey number 2—the standard number for a right-back.

If Ederson masters the right-back role, Carrick will gain an additional tactical option. Manchester United currently has two right-backs, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui, so the position is not lacking. However, Moroccan international Mazraoui has performed exceptionally well as a left-back during the World Cup. If needed, Mazraoui can replace Luke Shaw at left-back, while Ederson's ability to play on the right ensures depth in that position. Ivory Coast winger Amad Diallo has also played as a right wing-back for an extended period under Amorim.