Man Utd's need for a defensive midfielder reaches all-time high

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 19 Apr 2022 23:01 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester United's desire for a defensive midfielder has been reported for several years now, but they have been stuck with their current options during a period of real struggle for the club.

The Old Trafford outfit are one of the biggest in the world, but their finishing positions in recent Premier League seasons doesn't suggest that. Plenty of money has been spent, but it's reaped little rewards.

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The forward line has been bolstered many times over, but a new central striker will be needed soon as Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo age out, while the defence still looks shaky despite major investment. Either way, defensive midfield is still the biggest issue.

That issue was made all the more concerning in Man Utd's narrow win over Norwich City last weekend and the humiliating defeat to Liverpool on Tuesday night. The Canaries are rock bottom of the Premier League, but scored twice at Old Trafford with only a Ronaldo hat-trick, helped by some poor defending and goalkeeping, denying Dean Smith's side a point, while Liverpool tore Man Utd to shreds, particularly in the first-half.

Both Fred and Scott McTominay were absent for the two games and their presence was sorely missed.

For the Norwich game Nemanja Matic, who has revealed he's leaving the club in the summer, started on the bench, meaning a midfield trio of Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard took to the field. It highlighted the gaping hole that a No.6 needs to fill, but just as concerning was the fact the midfield featured two players, in Pogba and Lingard, who won't be at the club next season. Add in Matic and there are three midfielders leaving Man Utd this summer, all of whom are being relied upon to play significant minutes from now until the end of the season.

Conceding twice to lowly Norwich wasn't solely down to the midfield at all, but while Pogba is excellent as a deep distributor, he's a liability when defending in a double pivot, let alone when he's on his own.

Both of Fred and McTominay have been scapegoated in the past, and to rely so heavily is a worrying sign for Man Utd; a sign there need to fix if they want to climb back to the summit of the English top flight.

Not only that, but against Liverpool a double pivot of Matic and Pogba was selected. Following Pogba's early substitution, Fernandes dropped into the defensive midfield position until Rangnick changed shape at half-time.

Man Utd were cut through with supreme ease by Liverpool, with Thiago Alcantara allowed to simply run the game. If they want to climb back up the league, it's clear where they need to upgrade the most.

Who could they sign?

Man Ut'd issues are made all the worse by three long-term targets excelling recently. Yves Bissouma was a target of Man Utd's a couple of years ago, and he remains a solid option if they were to pursue a move.

The Brighton midfielder almost single-handedly shut down the Premier League's most prolific attack in 2022 as the Seagulls beat Tottenham 1-0 on Saturday afternoon. The Mali international made three tackles and four interceptions in the game, and was a constant thorn in the side whenever Spurs tried to mount an attack.

In addition to that, Aurelien Tchouameni was a similarly impressive defensive presence in Monaco's win over Rennes. He completed eight tackles and interceptions, including a crucial interception high up the pitch which led to Myron Boadu's winner.

The third target of Man Utd is Declan Rice, who scored in West Ham's Europa League win over Lyon to seal their place in the semi-finals. He also made five tackles and interceptions in an all-round midfield masterclass.

Man Utd have needed a light-out defensive midfielder for years, and these past few days have highlighted that fact more than ever. With investment likely to come, the Red Devils need to fix the gaping hole in the middle of the park, or it'll be yet more years of struggle for the side.