Midfield is one of the most rotated areas of the pitch under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and this is true even before Donny van de Beek is fully integrated into the squad. Hence the question: what is the best for Man United going forward? Borys, a RedCafe user, presents us a full breakdown of all the options as he sees them.
"First-choice and fully functional midfield:
"A lot of energy, good ball circulation, great defensively, okay going forward because of Bruno. But it's two conservative box-to-box players because Fred can't stop running and would be a waste playing as a holding midfielder, and Scott doesn't feel comfortable in the middle - he always pulls to the right.
"Possibly well-functioning midfield - single pivot:
- Matic - Van de Beek - Fred
- Matic - Fred - Bruno
"Basically, Matic can only play in CDM position, I think pairing him with Fred doing the leg work would be quite effective midfield. Matic and Fred are only two pure midfielders.
"Possible well-functioning midfield - double box-to-box:
- Fred - Pogba - Bruno
- Van de Beek - Fred - Bruno
"Wouldn't try this from the start against any team in the league because I don't rate Pogba's and Van de Beek's defensive attributes, but it might be effective if we expect to have a lot of possession. The second would be my first-choice midfield if we switch to back three with McTominay as a centre-back and in my opinion, this is the way forward.
"Zero chance to work:
- Matic + Pogba
- Van de Beek + Pogba
"Pogba and Donny are half midfielders, so don't see any point in playing in that setup.
"Overall, I think we have some decent options. Matic still has a role to play this season, as he's a good midfielder, just can't be left alone and needs others to do the running. Fred is the first name on the team sheet because he makes us play better in any setup. McTominay is something between defence and midfield, but I rate him highly. Pogba and Van de Beek are on the same level for me at this point, would use them as subs."
