I must admit at the start of this season with the signing of Fred and the emergence of Perreira who had a very good pre season I thought that was our Centre midfield sorted for at least a couple of seasons.
How wrong I have been
Going into a new season I don’t think I can bare having Matic as the main DM
Pogba looks more disinterested again after his 3 month improvement
McTominay albeit had probably his best game in a united shirt against Wolves I’m not seeing it as a main first teaser for me
Perreira I did like but again does he have enough? I do like his passion however and ability to score a worldy
Fred has been very poor and although I’d give him one more season he has shown absolutely nothing as of yet to be a first team centre mid for us
Now with Herrera looking likely he is going to leave I think that will mean we need 2 Centre Midfielders this summer
For me the priority is a player who can get about the pitch with plenty of energy. We have looked so slow in there for years now
I’d personally go with either Rabiot or Rice
And also Ndombele
Other players that we have been linked with
Neves
Saul Niguez
Doucoure (decent shout)
Coutinho
Rakitic
Savic
Who would people go for?
Centre Midfield
posted on 5/4/19
Kante!
It's actually a position I'd like to see our scouts do their bloody job and find a rising star for.
Fernandinho - bought from Shaktar
Kante - bought from Leicester
I don't think any of us can possibly know all of the potential players out there, but isn't this what we have scouts for?
Am fed up of the club looking for a finished article - particularly for this position, where mobility and reading the game are the key attributes, imo.
posted on 5/4/19
Thomas Partey - Athleico Madrid?
posted on 5/4/19
Neves should be a priority for us, said it in the summer and was laughed off.
posted on 5/4/19
comment by Josunited (U8584)
posted 11 minutes ago
Thomas Partey - Athleico Madrid?
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He's one being talked up about as a possible new DM. 45m buyout clause too apparently.
Monaco apparently only want 40m for Tielmanns. I'd love him at our club. Always thought he looked special as a young kid in Belgium. And he's taken to life in the PL very quickly. Such potential.
We could sell Pogba and buy 3 new midfielders with the cash. Got to be worth considering.
posted on 5/4/19
comment by Eric_the_king (SE85) (U21241)
posted 18 minutes ago
comment by Robb Ferguson (U21234)
posted 6 minutes ago
Doucore and Coutinho
Then keep persisting with McT who can learn off Matic who I’d sell the season after as I think he’s got one season left in him for us.
Give Fred one more season to see if this one was more of a learning curve (or signs that he really isn’t good enough for us)
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Fred isn't good enough. We already know that. Doucoure for what he'd cost isn't either. He's a decent enough player but not too level for me.
Coutinho is a non runner. I don't even know why anyone would believe it. He'd get death threats and all sorts. And he's just as inconsistent as Pogba. Liverpool have got better since he left them.
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There aren't any players I can think of who play in Pogba's or a similar role and deliver consistently top quality performances.
posted on 5/4/19
Thomas Partey - Athleico Madrid?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He's one being talked up about as a possible new DM. 45m buyout clause too apparently.
Monaco apparently only want 40m for Tielmanns. I'd love him at our club. Always thought he looked special as a young kid in Belgium. And he's taken to life in the PL very quickly. Such potential.
We could sell Pogba and buy 3 new midfielders with the cash. Got to be worth considering.
............................................................................
I wont pretend to know a great deal about Partey, but of the clips I have seen, he appears commanding, keeps things simple but seems an awful lot more mobile than Matic (not difficult I know!!)
posted on 5/4/19
Midfield problem has been threefold, and is emplified by the arrival of herrera, the lack of playing time given to Mata and the misuse of Young and Valencia to cover for garbage like rafael.
Lukaku and Pogba are ideal players for united, but they are only great assets as players because they are the kind of players that are exceptional when the rest of those around them have team intelligence.
The current squad situation is precisely the opposite of the team strengths in the height of United's periods of supremacy.
Players like rashford, martial and especially lingard are not team strengthening players - and in a team sport that is obviously counter productive.
In all honesty, that is why 'ordinary' players like fellaini, matic, blind, carrick, butt, p neville etc., were/are so much more important to the teams performance, shape and effectiveness than some of the recent and current first teamers.
Football is a simple thing if the players are permitted to play to their strengths (not out of position), aren't relying on themselves to do what others can, and should, be doing, take responsibility, use their footballing intelligence and are capable of organising themselves collectively, or promoted from junior ranks too early, then the rest of the good stuff happens.
There are four or five players at the club that are exceptional in their specialist positions and 2/3 more that were but are now too 'mature' and we're not used properly anyway. Use these 4/5 properly and rebuild around them.
Martial and Rashford are useful assets from the bench but they are not first team starters in a team that has league aspirations.
posted on 5/4/19
There aren't any players I can think of who play in Pogba's or a similar role and deliver consistently top quality performances.
......
Can you name any that deliver as many consistently bad ones.
posted on 5/4/19
If there's one player from Atletico Madrid I'd like to see come in and replace Matic it's Rodri.
I like Thomas Partey but he's not on Rodri's level when it comes to controlling a game and ball circulation. They actually work well together as a pair though.
I doubt we'll sign anybody from Atletico but if we didn't get Rodri and got Saul instead, we'd be getting a very good player to replace Herrera if he does go.
My other preference to replace Herrera would be Bruno Fernandes who's having an incredible season for Sporting playing primarily in a similar position to the right of a three.
If we just ended up with somebody like Declan Rice for midfield this summer I'd be so underwhelmed because he wouldn't remedy even half of our problems in midfield.
posted on 5/4/19
Thing with Pogba, that people don't seem to understand, is he isn't a player like Hazard or Salah who will win a game on his own.
We know he can find runs in counter attacks, link up play and make great runs into the box. That's what he's good at. But they all rely on other players too.