Thread by @pressbaiting, ℝ𝕖𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℙ𝕠𝕘𝕓𝕒 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕄𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕔𝔸 𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕: While struggling for form this season, it’s [...]

ℝ𝕖𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℙ𝕠𝕘𝕓𝕒 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕄𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕔

𝔸 𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕:

While struggling for form this season, it’s become abundantly clear that their midfield just doesn’t seem to fit right. Whether Pogba is injured, aging or leaving, United must begin to think about the future.

Matic’s lack of mobility and age are becoming issues as well.

Looking forward, United have a few options for how to fill these gaps:

Option 1, is their academy players or their squad right now.

Option 2, is through the transfer market.

Today, I’m going to focus on the signings that can be made rather than the players they already have, but I will touch over those academy players quickly now.

- Garner
- Mejbri
- Levitt
- Puigmal
- Galbraith

All good players, especially the top 3, just ignoring them for now.

There are also very good players in the team, I’m ignoring (most) of them too for the sake of speculation.

This thread is split into 3 sections.

- Players to replace Pogba
- Players to replace Matic
- How they would fit in the team

First up, players to replace Pogba.

Our picks:
Gravenberch

Camavinga

Renato Sanches

ℝ𝕪𝕒𝕟 𝔾𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕙 - 𝔸𝕛𝕒𝕩 - 𝟙𝟠

First is the most outlandish choice out of the bunch. One of the most talented teenagers in Europe, Gravenberch has mostly been used as a left center-mid in a 4-3-3 this season and even earned a call up to the national team.

ℝ𝕪𝕒𝕟 𝔾𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕙 - 𝔸𝕛𝕒𝕩 - 𝟙𝟠 First is the most outlandish choice out of the bunch. One of the most talented teenagers in Europe, Gravenberch has mostly been used as a left center-mid in a 4-3-3 this season and even earned a call up to the national team.

He’s a very versatile player with quality passing range and weight, a high ability to read the game and transition quickly. He progresses the game well with 29% of his passes going forward and a passing accuracy over 90%.

He’s not ready for the Premier League just yet though.

He can also play as a lone 6 though, and has done it before, this versatility would be quite useful. Personally, I think he’s best playing in a pivot with someone else. With his larger frame, he’s similar to Pogba in nearly every way, but is much better in transition.

𝔼𝕕𝕦𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕠 ℂ𝕒𝕞𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕒 - ℝ𝕖𝕟𝕟𝕖𝕤 - 𝟙𝟠

I honestly feel like I’m beating a dead horse talking about Camavinga. Everyone knows the name. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe how highly I rate him. He’ll do great things anywhere he plays in any position.

𝔼𝕕𝕦𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕠 ℂ𝕒𝕞𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕒 - ℝ𝕖𝕟𝕟𝕖𝕤 - 𝟙𝟠 I honestly feel like I’m beating a dead horse talking about Camavinga. Everyone knows the name. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe how highly I rate him. He’ll do great things anywhere he plays in any position.

My personal notes about him:

- He’s a leader, even at 18.
- His mentality is unbeatable. I can’t see him failing.
- He is good at pretty much everything.
- I think he’s best in a pivot, not being tied down.
- Again, like Gravenberch, he’s versatile.

Everyone should know who he is by now so I’m not going to go too far in depth. If you don’t, watch some Rennes, read up about him. He’s a generational talent and as I said, will succeed anywhere at whatever he does.

All he needs is consistency and he'll be world class soon.

ℝ𝕖𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕠 𝕊𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕤 - 𝕃𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕖 - 𝟚𝟛

Another player that everyone probably remembers, Renato Sanches has rejuvenated his entire career in France with Lille. After finally being given gametime, Renato has become one of the best midfielders in the Ligue 1.

ℝ𝕖𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕠 𝕊𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕤 - 𝕃𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕖 - 𝟚𝟛 Another player that everyone probably remembers, Renato Sanches has rejuvenated his entire career in France with Lille. After finally being given gametime, Renato has become one of the best midfielders in the Ligue 1.

Energetic in his movements, Renato progresses play at a rapid rate and presses at a rapid rate. (Although admittedly, these numbers have changed this year.)

For example, this season, Renato is 4th in passes into the final third per 90 minutes.

This combination would make him perfect to play in a pivot with someone else, or he could even play as an 8 next to Bruno with a lone 6. He’s somewhat similar to Fred in style, although I think Renato is slightly better at most things, with a higher upside.

Second is the replacements for Matic.

Our picks:
Koopmeiners

Zakaria

De Jong

𝕋𝕖𝕦𝕟 𝕂𝕠𝕠𝕡𝕞𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕤 - 𝟚𝟚 - 𝔸ℤ

First is one of my favorites, Koopmeiners from AZ. Although not a phenomenal athlete, he makes up for it with an immense understanding of the game, technical soundness, and leadership, all things United’s midfield needs.

His ability to read the game is arguably his most important asset. He’s a quality defender, and progresses the ball well, with about a quarter of his passes going forward.

The dutchmen also plays a fair amount of center-back where these talents become even more apparent.

Following the same trend thus far, Koopmeiners’ versatility is something that United could really take advantage of. He reminds me of Hummels, who made his name on long balls and aerial ability, but he’s learned how to do it from defensive midfield in a high speed AZ squad.

𝔻𝕖𝕟𝕚𝕤 ℤ𝕒𝕜𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕒 - 𝟚𝟛 - 𝔾𝕝𝕒𝕕𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕙

Definitely my number one choice on the list, Zakaria is an absolute destroyer in the midfield. Massive physical presence with good technical ability, the Swiss international checks all the boxes you could want in a DM.

𝔻𝕖𝕟𝕚𝕤 ℤ𝕒𝕜𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕒 - 𝟚𝟛 - 𝔾𝕝𝕒𝕕𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕙 Definitely my number one choice on the list, Zakaria is an absolute destroyer in the midfield. Massive physical presence with good technical ability, the Swiss international checks all the boxes you could want in a DM.

The main misconception with Zakaria is that he’s not good technically, and much like Ndidi, his qualities are mostly found defensively. In my opinion, that is far from the truth. Rather, his large size causes poor agility and thus, people believe he is poor technically.

Of all the players discussed so far, Zakaria is the most ready for the Premier League. He’s built for it and ready to go.

The main concern is his injury history. In 2020 he’s missed 21 games so far, and a recurring injury could be reason for angst.

𝔽𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕜𝕚𝕖 𝔻𝕖 𝕁𝕠𝕟𝕘 - 𝟚𝟛 - 𝔹𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕒

Similar to Camavinga, Frenkie De Jong is a name everyone should know by now, and know a lot about. He’s got it all, one of the best midfielders in the world, despite being grossly misused in his time at Barcelona.

Because of this, I’m not going to spend my time discussing what Frenkie De Jong brings to the table, I’m going to discuss how Manchester United can get him, albeit a stretch.

Barcelona are in financial turmoil, and could use some relief from teams who aren’t.

The fact that the manager they chose was Koeman, I can’t imagine they’d let Frenkie go, but if there’s even a chance that they would, United should be on the phone first. De Jong walks straight into the top 3 midfielders in the league.

It's a long shot, but it's the highest bar.

So how would you use these players…

The most important thing is that my selection of players was insanely versatile. Every one of the Pogba replacements could play as a 6 (some better than others) and all the Matic replacements can play as a center-back.

This functionality means that they almost all work with each other. I’ve selected 6 players who are all apt at progression, defensive abilities and most phases of play. This means they’d all do well together in any combination.

That said, my ideal pairings would probably be something like this:

(order is a combination of preference and how possible it is)

Camavinga - Zakaria
Renato - Koopmeiners
Gravenberch - Frenkie

These sets give a pretty solid combination of both physicality, progression and defense that would improve United almost immediately.

Whether it's in possession or out of it, these players would excel at a club like United.

**End of Thread**

Any feedback or questions, feel free to DM me! I’ve watched a lot of these 6 players and like them a lot. Would be happy to elaborate on any of them or hear why you think these are horrendous choices.

Also a special thanks to Yusuf (splxshford) who helped me out with this idea and project, great friend of mine who you should follow when he reactivates his account.

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