Which midfielder should we buy to give Pogba more freedom

[L1nk]

From what I can see we have a good plethora of options available here depending on the type of midfielder we want to go for, i'm going to list off a few and list why they would be a good addition to our midfield to line up alongside Matic and Pogba, now i'm not saying all of these are necessarily attainable but they should all be worthy of consideration I think.

Julian Weigl - Age 22. If we're looking for a Carrick replacement and somebody who can control a game from midfield, this guy should be our main target without a doubt and is my number 1 pick for the midfield position personally.

Sergej Milinković-Savić - Age 22. I think a lot of people want this guy, and for good reason, brilliant midfielder for Lazio, some argue he would make a great partner for Pogba, others say they would be too similar and it wouldn't work well, no doubting his quality though. Napoli would probably demand a fortune however.

Ruben Neves - Age 20. Perhaps more of a workhorse than Weigl, not so much of a controller but seems like a bit of an all-rounder, he's a great talent that could easily make the step up, the fact he went to Wolves was a shock and he's tearing it up for them currently.

Mateo Kovačić - Age 23. Great passer of the ball, think he would be one of my top 3 choices for a midfielder we buy in the summer, issue is if Madrid would let him go, and if they would, would they mess us around again.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - Age 22. Akin to Ruben Neves I would say, touted as the future of Bayern's midfield at one point.

Now I know there are other options, whether I know of them or not, it's likely we may sign someone nobody even knows about! But i've not seen enough of some of the others I know that we could possibly sign, Fred etc, to feel comfortable enough to list them. Exciting times though, hopefully we nail this CM signing because there's certainly some great options out there.

 

[Jaybomb]

Vidal.

I don’t care if hes 30. He would be perfect for United. And we know he can play well alongside Pogba.

Alternative option: Nainggolan.

Some of the names been thrown around in this thread are nowhere near United quality. We don’t want cast offs. We’re Manchester United.

 

[Seven Seas Sardines]

This of course would mean that Ozil won't come here.

Why not?

Against parked buses:

Matic/CM - Pogba
Sanchez - Özil - Martial
Lukaku​

Against big clubs:

Matic
CM - Pogba
Özil - Lukaku/Sanchez - Martial/Sanchez
​

An option would be to use TFM or someone like Fabinho who can do RB/DM/CM roles.

 

[Silas]

Needs to be someone who can dictate the play, ala Modric or Kroos. People suggesting Milinkovic-Savic should consider that he's far too similar to Pogba in his style of play. He makes late runs into the box and drives the team forward, but isn't one to circulate possession and set the tempo as a playmaker.

I'd like to see Pereira given a shot there, but my other recommendations would be:

Kovacic
Seri
Pjanic
Soler

Kovacic seems more of a dribbler than a passer from what I've seen, though. Good going both ways, but I'm not sure if he's the one to dictate play.

 

[haram]

I think it's worth noting that Pogba and Matic in a two has been very successful against the lesser teams for the most part. I find it a little odd there's still this idea Pogba needs 'freeing up' when Matic has done pretty much exactly that. Not only is Pogba influencing games as he did against Stoke last night, he's joint-top assist maker in the league with de Bruyne and Sane in far less games.

Obviously an additional man in midfield is a nice option to have, especially in the big games, but I don't think it's necessarily worth spending big bucks to facilitate it.

It would bring the best out of Pogba and we need quality players period. There’s no point in being cheap. Of course in some games we can get away with it (today for example), but we need to think about away games, big games and CL ties. It will be worth the money to go big and get another top CM.

 

[Devil may care]

Why not?

Against parked buses:

Matic/CM - Pogba
Sanchez - Özil - Martial
Lukaku​

Against big clubs:

Matic
CM - Pogba
Özil - Lukaku/Sanchez - Martial/Sanchez
​

An option would be to use TFM or someone like Fabinho who can do RB/DM/CM roles.

Because then when you switch to the big game formation you are basically adding in a lesser player to the toughest matches, as whoever the CM is will be a sqaud player who'll be happy riding the bench. We don't need Ozil, if we get a top CM to contribute between Matic and Pogba we'll be fine as Pogba is only going to get better in that free role.

 

[izec]

Pereira

 

[carvajal]

Typically, the ‘passers’ who control the tempo seem to lack a. It if dynamism. The likes of Pirlo etc, or Fabregas or Neves. I think if you want one who moves about a bit more, they often don’t have the same passing stats of a Busquets or so. Like Thiago can pass, but isn’t a ‘passer’. Likewise a player like Wilshere. I see Kovacic more in this mould, and more of an all-round CM. I think that would be fine for us. Ideally, I’d like this player to also be able to replace Pogba if needed, and Kovacic can do that job, with a Herrera stepping in perhaps.

From the midfield I would only save Matic and Pogba. That role of all round CM may be necessary but in that case I would buy two top midfielders.
Kovacic is very talented, and he is very complete but as Invictus said he is more unpolished.
He needs that extra half second to give a pass, and I can not imagine him being the team's guide or breaking lines with 30-meter passes. I do not see anyone in the team capable of doing that with assiduity and quality(not counting Pogba)

 

[RedDevilRoshi]

Milinkovic-Savic would be a good
Shout I think

A lot of folk on here were mentioning this guy a lot as someone that would be perfect in our midfield.

I’ve personally never seen him play, therefore can’t really say if he would or not be a perfect purchase for what we need. What sort of midfielder is he?

 

[L1nk]

A lot of folk on here were mentioning this guy a lot as someone that would be perfect in our midfield.

I’ve personally never seen him play, therefore can’t really say if he would or not be a perfect purchase for what we need. What sort of midfielder is he?

The issue is that, even though he is quality, he may be too similar to Pogba as a player, which would be great as a backup for Pogba, which he is too good for anyway, but maybe not to play alongside him.

 

[Swift Football]

Vidal.

I don’t care if hes 30. He would be perfect for United. And we know he can play well alongside Pogba.

Alternative option: Nainggolan.

Some of the names been thrown around in this thread are nowhere near United quality. We don’t want cast offs. We’re Manchester United.

I agree with this.
My suggestion would be the same: 1st choice - Vidal - This guy would be perfect to complement POgba and Matic. He is not world class passer like VEratti , but is world class in every other aspect in midfield.
2nd choice - Nainggolan - Can be a good box to box midfield and can take up more defensive duties.
The likes of Savic is too attack minded to play alongside Pogba.

 

[Adnan]

Could Saul Niguez be tempted to Leave Atletico?

 

[Needham]

feck it. We're on a roll. After Sanchez, world class or certain to be world class only please.

 

[2E_MUFC]

A lot of folk on here were mentioning this guy a lot as someone that would be perfect in our midfield.

I’ve personally never seen him play, therefore can’t really say if he would or not be a perfect purchase for what we need. What sort of midfielder is he?

He's abit of an all rounder. But best box to box imo. Has a good shot on him and he's 6 foot 4. The problem would be how much money Lazio would want for him. Which iirc was €100mil

 

[Silas]

Could Saul Niguez be tempted to Leave Atletico?

The price would be crazy considering his 9-year contract.

 

[Z1L3]

Why not?

Against parked buses:

Matic/CM - Pogba
Sanchez - Özil - Martial
Lukaku​

Against big clubs:

Matic
CM - Pogba
Özil - Lukaku/Sanchez - Martial/Sanchez
​

An option would be to use TFM or someone like Fabinho who can do RB/DM/CM roles.

Because then when you switch to the big game formation you are basically adding in a lesser player to the toughest matches, as whoever the CM is will be a sqaud player who'll be happy riding the bench. We don't need Ozil, if we get a top CM to contribute between Matic and Pogba we'll be fine as Pogba is only going to get better in that free role.

I agree. It was evident even against Stoke that the team does not play well in a 4231. Pogba lacks the defensive awareness and discipline, and is also much less effective when playing farther from the goal. With another more defensive oriented CM next to Matic, Pogba can be unleashed to attack. When he plays further back he can be a liability because he loses the ball in dangerous positions.

 

[cyberman]

I don't think it'll be a midfielder that gives him that freedom but a defender stepping forward by playing 3 at the back.

 

[Adnan]

The price would be crazy considering his 9-year contract.

9 year contract, wow..

 

[bosnian_red]

Would Real sell Kovacic? They would take the piss if we tried to sign him anyway.

Good shout. Not sure how much good will there is from their part to sell to us, but he'd be perfect in providing a similar type role to pogba but the right of midfield, being creative, helping control and being a hard worker. Great for counter attacks too. Also don't think he'd mind occasionally being rotated to let us play a 4231 in easier games, but even still, think he'd give a perfect balance. Someone like him, modric, sergi Roberto (makes sense why Mou was interested in him), goretzka. None of those seem realistic bar kovacic, but even that's far fetched given how bitter they are over de gea still being here. Milinkovic savic a possibility but seems less dynamic and also crazy prices rumored for him.

 

[Seven Seas Sardines]

Because then when you switch to the big game formation you are basically adding in a lesser player to the toughest matches, as whoever the CM is will be a sqaud player who'll be happy riding the bench. We don't need Ozil, if we get a top CM to contribute between Matic and Pogba we'll be fine as Pogba is only going to get better in that free role.

We are running Matic into the ground at the moment. Rotating a 30-year-old Matic with a young CM/DM next to Pogba against lesser teams should give him plenty of game time.

 

[Snow]

Saúl or Koke. Not sure they would want to leave at all but I don't think they'd have any problem acclimating to United or the PL.

I also don't see why Özil might also be an option. Mourinho doesn't just play the one way. Just look at the team today and replace Lingard with Özil. Pretty decent upgrade and makes the squad a whole lot better.

Assuming we've written Mkhitaryan off then we need a MC and another attacking midfielder and preferably a third attacking option although that's not a priority anymore than it was this season.

 

[CM]

It would bring the best out of Pogba and we need quality players period. There’s no point in being cheap. Of course in some games we can get away with it (today for example), but we need to think about away games, big games and CL ties. It will be worth the money to go big and get another top CM.

It's hardly getting away with it when Pogba plays as well as he did in the Stoke game though, he looked well within his element. It isn't about being cheap either - I just think it's more prudent to have the option of playing a #10 or an extra midfielder without restricting ourselves to one system because of the price tag over a player's head.

Herrera proved last year that he's capable of producing big performances like the Chelsea game and I'd like to think Andreas Pereira will have the chance to impress once he returns from loan too.

 

[Jib]

Pjanic, Kroos or Verratti !

 

[AP88]

Vidal.

I don’t care if hes 30. He would be perfect for United. And we know he can play well alongside Pogba.

Alternative option: Nainggolan.

Some of the names been thrown around in this thread are nowhere near United quality. We don’t want cast offs. We’re Manchester United.

That was probably Woodward’s thinking while overseeing transfers in the past 5 years, a tenure that has until now peaked at 4th place: Di Maria, Falcao, Schweinsteiger, Ibra....they’re all ‘names’ but Ferguson generally avoided those types like the plague.

What’s needed is a Herrera upgrade, with tenacity and more quality on the ball; Matic and Pogba are sound enough technicians to dictate the play - think the Gattuso to Pirlo and Seedorf in the great Milan side under Ancelotti, or Darren Fletcher to Scholes and Carrick circa the end of the last decade.

Wilfred Ndidi has been quality for Leicester in a similar role, but as I said earlier I really like the look of Lewis Cook, mainly based on what I saw for it u20s.

 

[haram]

It's hardly getting away with it when Pogba plays as well as he did in the Stoke game though, he looked well within his element. It isn't about being cheap either - I just think it's more prudent to have the option of playing a #10 or an extra midfielder without restricting ourselves to one system because of the price tag over a player's head.

Herrera proved last year that he's capable of producing big performances like the Chelsea game and I'd like to think Andreas Pereira will have the chance to impress once he returns from loan too.

There was clear gaps and Ireland was arriving between the midfield and our defence. We can get away with it against Stoke, but better teams, especially away from home, we will get punished.

Herrera and Pereira are not good enough. We will not be restricted to one system. Pogba, Matic and the new CM cannot play every game. If we sign Sanchez he can play in any of the forward positions.

 

[Needham]

Wonder who Pogba would suggest.

 

[Silas]

What’s needed is a Herrera upgrade, with tenacity and more quality on the ball; Matic and Pogba are sound enough technicians to dictate the play - think the Gattuso to Pirlo and Seedorf in the great Milan side under Ancelotti, or Darren Fletcher to Scholes and Carrick circa the end of the last decade.

It's a bit different to those other teams. All of those midfields have two real playmakers and a workhorse, whether that be a holding player or a more defensive box-to-box. Unlike us, both of those midfields had a playmaker in the holding position (Pirlo, Carrick), so a box-to-box workhorse was needed (Gattuso, Fletcher) to pair with the other playmaker. I'd hardly count Matic as a playmaker, so we'd need a playmaker at RCM instead; more similar to how Madrid have Kroos and Modric in front of Casemiro or City have KDB and Silva ahead of Fernandinho.

 

[starman]

So Herrera has gone off the boil? He was one of the best players last season. Should be given more game time in a 3 with Matic and Pogba

 

[MikeKing]

Honestly, most games i think we will reap the benefits of an extra attacker. When Pogba sits deeper he is controlling the tempo and he is very very good at it too. Its not like he doesn't get forward from that position neither, he does. If we lack creativity now we should fix that by getting an attacker (Sanchez+Ozil?) not get a b2b midfielder JUST to release Pogba a bit more.

Against the tougher teams tho, yeah we would benefit from having more numbers in midfield for safety and defensive cover. I actually think Fosu-Mensah can take Carrick's place as a midfield sub, and if Mourinho doesn't fancy Herrera then maybe fill a pool with money and make a bid for Romeu?

If we go this route of pushing Pogba further forward we would need another worldclass midfielder to controll games, like Kroos or Modric imo. I just don't see the need when we already have Pogba for that. What we currently lack is a worldclass attacker who'll make more space for Pogba to wander into, closer to goal. We need options tho since it looks like Herrera is out of favour

 

[Ramshock]

From what I can see we have a good plethora of options available here depending on the type of midfielder we want to go for, i'm going to list off a few and list why they would be a good addition to our midfield to line up alongside Matic and Pogba, now i'm not saying all of these are necessarily attainable but they should all be worthy of consideration I think.

Julian Weigl - Age 22. If we're looking for a Carrick replacement and somebody who can control a game from midfield, this guy should be our main target without a doubt and is my number 1 pick for the midfield position personally.

Sergej Milinković-Savić - Age 22. I think a lot of people want this guy, and for good reason, brilliant midfielder for Napoli, some argue he would make a great partner for Pogba, others say they would be too similar and it wouldn't work well, no doubting his quality though. Napoli would probably demand a fortune however.

Ruben Neves - Age 20. Perhaps more of a workhorse than Weigl, not so much of a controller but seems like a bit of an all-rounder, he's a great talent that could easily make the step up, the fact he went to Wolves was a shock and he's tearing it up for them currently.

Mateo Kovačić - Age 23. Great passer of the ball, think he would be one of my top 3 choices for a midfielder we buy in the summer, issue is if Madrid would let him go, and if they would, would they mess us around again.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - Age 22. Akin to Ruben Neves I would say, touted as the future of Bayern's midfield at one point.

Now I know there are other options, whether I know of them or not, it's likely we may sign someone nobody even knows about! But i've not seen enough of some of the others I know that we could possibly sign, Fred etc, to feel comfortable enough to list them. Exciting times though, hopefully we nail this CM signing because there's certainly some great options out there.

Savic plays for Lazio and would be my target and hope Jose's too. I also think the club will go for Pulisic.

 

[Velvet Revolver]

Before buying any player Jose should first finalize on the formations we would be playing next season. Jose wanted to play the 3-5-2 this season ( which he mentioned was the reason why we went for Perisic) and the reason why he moved Mikhi in the CAM role to have two strikers upfront.

I am assuming he wanted Lukaku and Rashford/Martial upfront. Because we didn't get that one player the whole tactic went astray.

Edit : Formatting

 

[Devil may care]

I agree. It was evident even against Stoke that the team does not play well in a 4231. Pogba lacks the defensive awareness and discipline, and is also much less effective when playing farther from the goal. With another more defensive oriented CM next to Matic, Pogba can be unleashed to attack. When he plays further back he can be a liability because he loses the ball in dangerous positions.

Definitely, the gaping holes we saw tonight would have been punished against teams with better forwards, Matic already looks tired to me and he can't cover the runners by himself, him and Pogba will both benefit from having another CM in there with them to manage the game better.

We are running Matic into the ground at the moment. Rotating a 30-year-old Matic with a young CM/DM next to Pogba against lesser teams should give him plenty of game time.

We do need a DM cover for Matic as well, but the other #8 we need has to offer more on the ball, we don't need another #10, if we use the 4-2-3-1 we can just use players like Lingard and Mata in there, another top #8 to give this team better balance is the missing piece IMO.

 

[L1nk]

Savic plays for Lazio and would be my target and hope Jose's too. I also think the club will go for Pulisic.

Sorry yes you are right, team colours mix me up sometimes! Lazio it is. I hope too we go for Pulisic, which would rule out a move for Weigl for sure, narrowing our options. My concern on this thread is seemingly everyone wants a rather unrealistic (Verratti, Kroos) or short term (Vidal, Nainggolan) optiom instead of entertaiming some very great options.

 

[CM]

There was clear gaps and Ireland was arriving between the midfield and our defence. We can get away with it against Stoke, but better teams, especially away from home, we will get punished.

Herrera and Pereira are not good enough. We will not be restricted to one system. Pogba, Matic and the new CM cannot play every game. If we sign Sanchez he can play in any of the forward positions.

That was true of the first half, yeah, the second half was a different story when we were a lot more fluent in possession. If we spend big on a midfielder I think we have to commit to the 4-3-3, which I wouldn't mind, but I find it hard to believe Mourinho would change on a whim having played 4-2-3-1 for the best part of a decade.

Herrera certainly has something to offer as a squad player, Pereira likewise, if given the opportunity.

 

[J_Red 11]

 

[KingMinger22]

I have a sneaky feeling that Kroos would be interested in a new challenge.

We only have to convince the player as Real’s supposed policy is to never stand in the way of the player.

 

[ThemanGiggsy]

In a perfect world i think we would be looking at a long term replacement for Matic. That would mean Pereira came good and is bossing midfield with Pogba.

Who are the up and coming players that sit in front of a back 4 and break up play/ distribute to the playmakers? i know a lot of names have been mentioned, but could any of them replace Matic?

 

[P-Nut]

Question that has been floating around for a long while and one that needs addressing really.

The 2 attributes I want more than anything are metronome midfielder with good defensive qualities.

The problem comes when looking at players that tick both of those boxes.

Wrigley, Verrati, Kroos all have the metronome aspect down to a tee and are top class (or heading towards in weigls case), however none of them are too adept at the defensive side of the game.

Then we have the box to box mids that have that defensive nous and workrate, but aren't known for dictating play and setting the tempo.

Players like Vidal, Naingolan and SMS all fit this bracket.

Now I'm not saying none of those players would work well for us, but none are really perfect for what I believe we need.

As mentioned by someone else previously, Saul is probably the closest fit, but it's never going to happen with his crazy contract length.

Although not yet of the class we need, I really like the look of Lemina from Southampton, he has a good passing range and doesn't shirk the defensive duties expected of him.

Can anyone name a player that combines excellent defensive skills with that metronome passing?

 

[mav_9me]

Question that has been floating around for a long while and one that needs addressing really.

The 2 attributes I want more than anything are metronome midfielder with good defensive qualities.

The problem comes when looking at players that tick both of those boxes.

Wrigley, Verrati, Kroos all have the metronome aspect down to a tee and are top class (or heading towards in weigls case), however none of them are too adept at the defensive side of the game.

Then we have the box to box mids that have that defensive nous and workrate, but aren't known for dictating play and setting the tempo.

Players like Vidal, Naingolan and SMS all fit this bracket.

Now I'm not saying none of those players would work well for us, but none are really perfect for what I believe we need.

As mentioned by someone else previously, Saul is probably the closest fit, but it's never going to happen with his crazy contract length.

Although not yet of the class we need, I really like the look of Lemina from Southampton, he has a good passing range and doesn't shirk the defensive duties expected of him.

Can anyone name a player that combines excellent defensive skills with that metronome passing?

I think the closest to that is Verratti and Saul. But the reality is you have to compromise on passing or defensive skill or mobility. No way around that imo.

 

[worldinmotion66]

I think we already have players that can do this at the club, but we need to change the way that we play. We have some of the fastest central defenders in the league, pushing the back line forward and playing a high press not only suits the likes of smalling, Jones and Bailly, but would suit Herrera and Pereira too.

If we want to buy in the summer, I would prioritise Thiago, Saul Niguez, Milinkovic-Savic in that order, but I'd still love us to take a punt on paredes