Future planning - Replacing Carrick

Devil may care said:
I think we'll need to address this in the summer, none of our other CM's can do what Carrick does and it seems very likely he'll retire at the end of the season.

I still think Gundogan is the best option, he's not the same defensively but on the ball he plays the same probing, threaded passes into the forwards, left or right foot. As I say he's not as defensive, he runs with the ball and is more attacking, but you rarely replace players to a T as we found when Carrick replaced Keane.

If we younger there are good options like Ruben Neves and Leon Goretzka, there's also Julian Weigl but I doubt Dortmund would part with him yet except for crazy money.
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I agree, as much as I love him around, we can't look to the future with him being integral to the side. Like himself, Rooney, Fellaini, Valencia and Young, players that cannot improve and are past their best, we need to find solutions in replacing them quick.
Replacing Carrick like for like will be difficult so maybe we should be looking for another CM that has different skill sets may be batter. As much I like Gundogan, I don't know if his back can take the strain of the PL. I would like to see Tielemans and Ruben Neves here instead.
 
Devil may care said:
I think we'll need to address this in the summer, none of our other CM's can do what Carrick does and it seems very likely he'll retire at the end of the season.

I still think Gundogan is the best option, he's not the same defensively but on the ball he plays the same probing, threaded passes into the forwards, left or right foot. As I say he's not as defensive, he runs with the ball and is more attacking, but you rarely replace players to a T as we found when Carrick replaced Keane.

If we younger there are good options like Ruben Neves and Leon Goretzka, there's also Julian Weigl but I doubt Dortmund would part with him yet except for crazy money.
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Verrati or Kroos would be my choice, but they are unrealistic for the moment. Gundogan would be the best available option because he finishes contract in 2017, so he wouldn't be too expensive. If Schneiderlin/Schweinsteiger/Blind are going to cover that position, we could sign a young player like Neves, Weigl, Bazoer or Tielemans.
 
I somehow believe Blind will take that mantle from Carrick when he retires. I know there are some shortcomings in his game but he will iron it out when time comes. He has been played in multitude of positions and that makes it difficult to settle in the role, esp when you are in a new league. Plus he fits the bill when it comes to being the scapegoat of the fans, something Carrick has endured for quite sometime :p
 
Replacing Carrick is one of our most important transfers in recent years and also one of our most difficult. However we cant go like for like, we desperately need a ball playing CM who can beat opposition players with either the ball at his feet or sharp passes.
 
I think we need to replace Carrick and Schweinsteiger. Both can not be relied on. Keep Scheinsteiger but as an squad player, not one of our main options.
 
Replacing Carrick is not of the greatest importance. Sorting out the complete lack of quality in attack is.
 
Build the midfield around Gundogan.
But, suppose we miss out then how should we approach?

Our CMs next season and their age
Morgan Schneiderlin, 26
Ander Herrera, 27
Andreas Pereira, 20
Michael Carrick, 35
Bastian Schweinsteiger, 32

(Carrick and Schweinsteiger as only back-up for experience, Fellaini excluded)

As Carrick for Keane was not a like for like replacement, I don't think its wise go looking for another Carrick. Personally I feel the CMs have been poor, individually and as a unit. There is no sure '1st name on the team sheet' type of quality. It lacks pace, technique and creativity.

Ideally, Schneiderlin would be firmly rooted to the lone DCM position with two dynamic CM (4-3-3) or one dynamic CM with two FB close by (4-2-3-1). But can he up his game to the desired standard?
 
amolbhatia50k said:
Replacing Carrick is not of the greatest importance. Sorting out the complete lack of quality in attack is.
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If we had a better attack but no one in midfield feeding the ball in quickly and precisely we'd still have issues IMO. When Carrick plays well we look a better team, we need someone that can replicate that aspect of his game.
 
I think in the same way we didn't really have to replace Roy Keane (despite that dragging on for years), we really don't have to replace Carrick at all.

Good passer of the ball but I'd rather have a midfielder who isn't a complete wimp in both challenges and in the air. He's definitely not this key player that he's made out to be. Guess he's always been underrated by opposition fans and massively overrated by our own.
 
dichinero said:
I agree, as much as I love him around, we can't look to the future with him being integral to the side. Like himself, Rooney, Fellaini, Valencia and Young, players that cannot improve and are past their best, we need to find solutions in replacing them quick.
Replacing Carrick like for like will be difficult so maybe we should be looking for another CM that has different skill sets may be batter. As much I like Gundogan, I don't know if his back can take the strain of the PL. I would like to see Tielemans and Ruben Neves here instead.
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Gundogan seems back to his best to me and I think a bit of proven quality and experience would be a bonus, the back issue could be a concern though in the PL admittedly. Neves would be my choice from those 2, he just has a maturity and strength to his game that I think would fit in with the pressure of United and the physicality of the PL.
 
Devil may care said:
If we had a better attack but no one in midfield feeding the ball in quickly and precisely we'd still have issues IMO. When Carrick plays well we look a better team, we need someone that can replicate that aspect of his game.
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Except when he plays badly. We also sometimes look better when Schweinsteiger is in the team. And at least in the first 1/4th of the season we looked a tougher team with Schneiderlin in the team. I personally think Herrera would do a very good job as a CM in the 8 role. So I think we've got much better options in the middle than in attack.
 
amolbhatia50k said:
Except when he plays badly. We also sometimes look better when Schweinsteiger is in the team. And at least in the first 1/4th of the season we looked a tougher team with Schneiderlin in the team. I personally think Herrera would do a very good job as a CM in the 8 role. So I think we've got much better options in the middle than in attack.
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Our better football has come with Carrick though, Schweini is not as good a passer and every bit as immobile, while Herrera is way too careless to play as a CM in the double pivot IMO. Schneiderlin has a role if he can sort himself out, but it's not so much on the ball as off it. I'm not suggesting we don't strengthen attack of course, but replacing a core piece of our midfield of the last decade is also important.
 
Different player but Gundogan. Let's go back to a three man midfield please.
 
Gundogan would be my favorite. But, what about Barkley in a midfield of 3 with Schneiderlin and Herrera?
 
Fer said:
Barkley
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He will be prohibitively priced, and not really worth the outlay considering Everton will demand something north of £50-60 million, maybe even more. The benchmark has been set by the Sterling transfer, and Barkley will almost definitely cost more than him. We could probably the sign the duo of Neves (rated at £25 million) and Gündogan (will enter the last year of his contract) for that amount of money, and still have some change left to target another young talent (eg. Dortmund signed Weigl for just £2 million and he's been exceptional as a holding midfielder). So the most natural question is - would you rather retool the midfield and have an overload of quality from a medium to long term perspective - signing a top central midfielder, arguably the biggest midfield talent in Europe, on top of another youngin in process. Or do you sign one Barkley, who might not be an ideal fit - because to bring out the best in him, you have to build your team around him - so to speak.

Plus, Barkley + Schneiderlin + Ander might not work at the highest level because none of them can really control the tempo of the game ala Scholes or Carrick. Almost every great midfield has atleast one player of that sort, someone who can manipulate the game with his guile and expansive range of passing, and become the heartbeat of their engine because of the ability to operate as a metronome in possession - a Verratti, Modrić, Thiago type player. And between the trio of Schneiderlin, Barkley and Ander; United wouldn't have even one of them. We really need that type of player too, because it's clear to see that we struggle to create in the middle portion of the pitch in the absence of Carrick, and to a lesser extent - Fußballgott.
 
Well, there's still Xhaka. IMO he's going to Munich in the summer or joins up Guardiola at City, but if we are looking for a player who can control the game with his passing, he'd be a very good choice. I'm not too worried about midfield, there are really a lot of players we should be looking at. Saul Niguez, Bazoer, Ruben Neves, Viviani, Gündogan, Kondogbia, Tolisso, Rabiot, Sanson, Fernando (Sampdoria), Pjanic, Alli, Barkley, Jorginho, Geis and Goretzka; all good players or talented, one or two of them could prove to be a good signing.
 
It's criminal that going into the transfer window last summer we desperately needed a top class winger and a long term Carrick replacement and a year later we're still in the same position.
 
bucky said:
Well, there's still Xhaka. IMO he's going to Munich in the summer or joins up Guardiola at City, but if we are looking for a player who can control the game with his passing, he'd be a very good choice. I'm not too worried about midfield, there are really a lot of players we should be looking at. Saul Niguez, Bazoer, Ruben Neves, Viviani, Gündogan, Kondogbia, Tolisso, Rabiot, Sanson, Fernando (Sampdoria), Pjanic, Alli, Barkley, Jorginho, Geis and Goretzka; all good players or talented, one or two of them could prove to be a good signing.
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Search player -> filter:

Central midfielder
Age: < 26
Passing: > 15
Decisions > 15
Work rate: > 15
 
I would like to see Blind given another run out as Deep lying midfielder

In his first season, he was just being over run and played in a midfield with no balance.
Schneiderlin as box to box and as Mata/Herrrea as the advance attacker, i wouldnt mind seeing
 
Nedved said:
Search player -> filter:

Central midfielder
Age: < 26
Passing: > 15
Decisions > 15
Work rate: > 15
Click to expand...

Good thing is I haven't played FM in years. If that's what this post is about. I actually watch games and use squawka and whoscored.
 
We look so much better with him in the team.
He'll be hard to replace.

The way him and blind were swapping positions was really natural and fairly brilliant today
 
Tonight showed the importance his passing game has on our tempo, I agree he needs replacing in the summer though as we need a player that can do this week in and week out and also have an engine to protect the back 4 for 90 minutes.
 
Watching Carrick conduct affairs tonight convinced me that the answer to the OP is not Morgan, whose skill base is far more limited.
 
I'd like to see someone who powerhouses through the midfield. Speed up the process from defence to attack. Passing wise - do we really need another passer when the whole squad has that ability?

Carrick is great no doubt but he hasn't been an assist maker from deep like scholes. Has he?
 
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