If you had to pick a player from another position and put him in the #9 role, who would you choose?

Drz said:
For some reason, thought the same...
Click to expand...

I saw the Maguire suggestion and it made me think of De Ligt. Think I'd slightly prefer him if we went with the emergency big man up front. To start games with him him there would be a madness, he's more for if you were desperately chasing a game, but if we had to chuck someone up there we're not exactly spoiled for choice.

On De Ligt v Maguire I seemed to remember a spell when De Ligt was getting his head on stuff fairly often earlier in the season, and Understat says he's had more goal attempts per 90 in the league than Maguire. It's 0.78 vs 0.53. I suppose his lifted finish against Ipswich showed a little bit of understanding recently as well.

Neither is obviously ideal.

Apparently Tuchel brought him off the bench and put him up front for a few minutes in 1 game while he was at Bayern. A 1-1 draw v Gladbach. Didn't score but had a shot saved.
 
Great post. I think if our team was playing free flowing football, then Amad followed by Garnacho. Amad because he’s more tenacious.
 
It'd be Bruno, only we can't play him there as we need him in the ten. Only we can't play him there cos he's needed in the midfield two. He'll also quite often go where one of the wingbacks simply doesn't want to (looking at you Maz) while doing that. Oh and those odd times where he's inexplicably needed at centre half. I have a sneaking suspicion he's also the best goalkeeper in the squad.
 
Regarding Forwards:

In reality the only one that can actually receive a ball near the little area or inside of it and have the tools to create and finish sthg. in tight spaces is Amad. He is not bulky a la Kun, Rooney and Tevez, yet like those he is the one in the team that looked at times that he can manage playing with the back towards the rivals net, bring others as a pivot, has the dribbling in him with a second march to arrive with a control ball from outside the area, he can drop deeper to play as mediapunta or launch his attack from the flanks and have showed at moments enough skills to resolve in technical demanding situations in the last metres.
He lacks power in comparison with the mentioned and we don't know how much he can be trusted with goalscoring regularly, yet he has showed at times some of the mentioned trais that are very useful to play as second forward/striker.

Of course United needs so bad skill fellas on the mid and flanks that he is needed there, yet it can be a bet.

Regarding CBs:

Harry can only be trusted in the way nowadays it's trusted to score the goals he does: dead balls situtions and the ocasional play on the break and scoring on the run after a cross. Yet managing long high balls, operating with the back towards the rivals net, in tight spaces, not getting anxious in those, not doing the regular bad pass or miscontrol, it's trusting too much. De Ligt looks better than him on the ball, facing more than probably the same issues with what the role demands like Harry and being so far a lesser threat with his header in dead ball situations.

So that leaves Yoro from the CB that actually looks a bit more confidence on the ball, young enough to convert him, with great height and actually some experience as Striker in his youth as better option for a pure classic number 9.
PD: Licha if he some day returns, clearly has the confidence and shot in him, yet he should just arrive MORE like he did at times so far while still playing as a defender, he must be used more in such surprising role, attacking the space, receiving a second ball or grabbing a rebound. He is the type of defender with the necessary composure and strike that can end with quite a number of goals every season.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.