The answer to Man Utd's midfield problems was there all along

Manchester United’s midfield problems have been well documented this season.

Youngster Kobbie Mainoo can hold his head up high having contributed plenty during his rookie year but elsewhere United’s midfield has left a lot to be desired.

Scott McTominay has, in fairness, been a threat in front of goal but his overall midfield play has not been up to the requisite standard.

He cannot be trusted to lead games from the middle and is much better suited to playing off a front man these days.

READ MORE: Man Utd can stop Liverpool signing a SECOND Mac Allister with Real Madrid swoop

Last season’s landmark Erik ten Hag signing Casemiro has only managed 23 appearances in total this term, having seen his form and fitness drop off precipitously. He looks a busted flush at 32 and remains a considerable drain on the wage bill.

Meanwhile, the Red Devils were ready to cut their losses on another Ten Hag deal in Christian Eriksen during the winter transfer window but ultimately could not conclude a deal to sell the Dane to Galatasaray.

The 32-year-old will more than likely leave this summer, having made only nine Premier League starts all season long.

Then comes last summer’s transfer business in that sector, by now regarded by all comers as an unmitigated disaster.

Man Utd's midfield transfer business last summer

Mason Mount came into the club with a lofty reputation as a Champions League winner with Chelsea and arrived for a hefty €65 million fee.

The 25-year-old England international has had a season to forget, appearing only 10 times in the Premier League to this point and largely becoming a man on the periphery before his recent ineffective cameo against Chelsea.

What a disappointing deal this has been.

And what to say about Sofyan Amrabat? The Morocco international impressed scouts at the World Cup but has not been able to find his feet at all in the Premier League.

The 27-year-old hasn’t started a match in the top flight since mid-December, playing barely half an hour in total since then.

He is sure to be sent back to Fiorentina at the conclusion of his one-year loan deal.

Amrabat better than Pereira?

What is scarcely believable at this stage however is that Erik ten Hag paid about as much for one year’s use of Amrabat as United received in a permanent transfer fee for Andreas Pereira back in 2022.

Ten Hag worked previously with Andreas Pereira in the PSV youth ranks but sanctioned an initial £8m transfer to Fulham last summer after the midfielder concluded that he needed a fresh start. United did little to stand in his way and his career has gone from strength to strength ever since.

The Belgium-born star remains an ever-present for Marco Silva’s side this term, even if he looked like he could do with a rest during a few games earlier this year.

And while his form has not been as hot as it was last season, he still measures up well.

He links the midfield and attack in front of a solid midfield base, adding a goal and seven Premier League assists this term. He works tirelessly out of possession, switching from creator-in-chief to a vital component in Fulham's off-the-ball block. That is something United have been sorely lacking.

Even compared with Man Utd’s chief attacking orchestrator, Bruno Fernandes, Pereira’s numbers are comparable according to SciSports analysis, and that's before you factor in his defensive work.

There is no doubt that on his day he is currently better than most of what Man Utd have got even if he could do with upping his goal tally.

The 28-year-old’s form has been so good that he has forced his way back into the Brazil reckoning; he was initially capped back in 2018 but after a six-year absence he represented the South Americans twice - against England and Spain - in the recent international window under his former Flamengo manager Dorival Junior.

It capped a remarkable turnaround for Pereira, from the dark days of December 2022 when he carried the can for Flamengo losing the Copa Libertadores final to Palmeiras, when he was on loan from United, and last season when an ankle fracture ended his campaign.

Man Utd must regret Pereira sale

And now comes the news that one of the continent’s top sides, Atletico Madrid, want to sign him.

Pereira is entering the final two years of his current Fulham deal and is at an age where he could do with making a move sooner rather than later if he has dreams of playing for a bigger club.

United are reported to retain a 20 percent sell-on clause, but it’s a sign of the times at Old Trafford that they allowed him to escape and flourish elsewhere in the first place.

If he’s good enough for Atletico, he’s good enough for Man Utd, especially in light of the performances of Ten Hag’s preferred midfield signings.

Ten Hag’s judgement surely must come into question on this deal, like many others, with Eriksen, Mount and Amrabat all presumably deemed to be superior players by the Dutchman.

And what a smack in the mouth it must have been to witness the homegrown talent running the game at Old Trafford a couple of months ago as Fulham ran out 2-1 winners.

Pereira had spent 11 years at the club man and boy, before he was cut loose. And in his place United have spent around €150m on underperforming huge earners in his position, some of whom now appear over the hill.

What a mess, and one which new part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe must now set about rectifying.

This must now go down as yet another regrettable transfer move by Ten Hag, whose record in this area deserves the close scrutiny it is getting.