Manchester United have faced quite a lot of criticism in recent weeks after their exit from the Champions League and Jose Mourinho’s 12-minute rant trying to justify the same. The performance against Brighton in the FA Cup was also pretty lacklustre even though they got the job done in the end.
Jose Mourinho has not been shy of blaming his players for United’s slump in recent press conferences. With respect to that, one can only imagine more signings in the summer as Jose tries to close the gap to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side.
Manchester United have edged ahead of City in their race for Brazilian midfielder Fred who is valued at £40m.
Lack of creativity and pace
Though United’s midfield has the steel, they’ve lacked the bite. Passing has often been sideward and not that attack-minded as the midfielders often play it safe. For a Manchester United fan that is quite dull. Despite producing results, they haven’t produced performances that deserve to be remembered. Rarely has the midfield made people get off their seats.
Fred is a quick and powerful player having the ability to show his presence in the attacking third whilst also tracking back when his team loses possession. He is an engine who can run all day and could add that extra bit of bite to the dry United midfield.
Fred averages 1.1 key passes per game, more than Herrera and Matic, and could be the ideal partner for Matic that’ll give Pogba a more attacking role.
Brazilian Flair
South American talents are known for their flair and skill on the ball. Having a look at the United squad, not many that possess this quality and it is quite surprising to see no Brazilian among that list. They are players who can break the shackles or possibly excite the fans with their guile on the ball, which hasn’t been the case all season for the Manchester United faithful.
Tweak in Midfield
Jose Mourinho has tried various systems to deploy Pogba in the more attacking areas to have a better influence on the games. But most of these attempts have failed as the Frenchman has put in dull performances. He has frequently gone for the 2-man defensive midfield system that doesn’t provide the base for Pogba to flourish.
On the other hand, whilst deploying a 3-man midfield, Pogba has somewhat shown his attacking abilities racking up 9 assists. It clearly shows the attacking prowess of the man that can be unleashed only when used under the right system that has been the case rarely.
A 3-man midfield with Matic, Fred and Pogba could be an ideal one for the side. Matic can dictate the tempo whilst also guarding his back-line with Fred’s engine an important element in both attack and defence that would allow Pogba a much expansive and free role.
This could probably be United’s solution to their midfield problems.