Too much focus on physicality in this thread. Football has moved on. We need intelligent, technical, press resistant players, not destroyers. If we shift on Amrabat, Eriksen and VdB in the summer, to clear up the wage bill and add De Jong, our six midfielders, competing for 3 spots would be Casemiro, Mainoo, De Jong, Fernandes, Mount, and McTominay. Given the choice, I would also move on McTominay and bring in a DM of the profile of Onana. That would give us perfect balance. Casemiro/Onana, Mainoo/De Jong, Bruno/Mount. Great age profiles too.
I would most likely play Mainoo and De Jong plus one. The plus one being dependant on who we were playing. Tough away game against a top six? Casemiro or Onana plus Kobbie and Frankie. Most other teams? Mainoo and De Jong plus Bruno or Mount. We need versatile options, more than one way to play, and for the love of god we need a good, deep squad. It’s why I was so against selling Fred. Who I considered to be one of the best back up midfielders in the league. Not quite starting quality, but fecking brilliant as a rotation option or sub.
Lightweight isn’t an issue that plagues me. We just need a reference point in front of the defence, who knows how to read the game defensively and is tactically disciplined. Anyone who’s watched Mainoo this season, knows he is more than capable of being that player. Personally I would prefer to have someone like Casemiro or Onana behind Mainoo and De Jong, Bruno odd man out. But I’d have no concerns about a Mainoo, De Jong, Bruno/Mount midfield. Mainoo and De Jong are both such intelligent players, who keep the ball brilliantly and occupy the passing lanes in such a way that they are defensively effective without having to be brutish.