Why United might not sign a midfielder
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Why United might not sign a midfielder
Ashley Young, David de Gea and Phil Jones have already arrived. While on the way out are John O'Shea, Darron Gibson, Wes Brown, Edwin van der Sar, Paul Scholes and - if the rumours are to be believed - Nani, expected to relocate his ego to a more accommodating dressing room before the start of the season. It is changing times indeed at Manchester United.
The 19th title seems to have been the signal for the most significant overhaul of his squad by Sir Alex Ferguson since the You'll Win Nothing With Kids summer of 1996. And the summer of '96 might well have a bearing on the manager's thinking.
Six out, three in: it doesn't take an A level in sums to see the mathematical discrepancy there. Plus, none of those arriving directly address the issue most United fans would identify as the most pressing: the central midfield.
Nor, according to reports, which dismiss the chances of Luca Modric moving north, or Wesley Sneijder taking a pay cut or Jack Rodwell actually being as good as his many supporters in the press insist, does the transfer market have many options for Ferguson in that regard.
Which suggests one of two things. Either the manager is unaware of the problem there. Or he has plans which lie beyond the transfer market. And given that he has remained at the top of his profession for the past quarter century, I would wager that it was the latter.
The view among more seasoned United watchers is that the Scholes-sized hole in the middle is likely to be filled in ways few had expected.
Jones, for instance, if he is to play as a centreback, could find himself fourth in line behind Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and his under-21 colleague Chris Smalling. But as a defensive central midfielder, his combination of good distribution, cool control and snappy tackle might well work nicely.
He could become the next Jack Rodwell, converted from defender into graceful, artful midfielder. Though, lets hope for his sake, unlike Rodwell, he actually gets picked in the starting line up.
And alongside him, there is room for a recall for another under-21 colleague, Tom Cleverley.
Recalled from Wigan where he had a successful time last season, he has the potential to become a fixture in the side in a way that Gibson never really promised. And in reserve, Ferguson has two graduates from last season's youth cup winning team: the local bad boy Ravel Morrison, and best of all Paul Pogba, rated as the finest United youth product since 92, and, because he is tall, French, black and plays in central midfield, described as the new Patrick Vieira.
We can expect both to be given the opportunity to develop into first team squad members this season.
But ahead of such potential starters, then there is the more intriguing thought of another current United player being stationed there, a man who clearly has what it takes to make it: Wayne Rooney.
Anyone who saw Young play for England against Wales, by far his most effective game for his country, will have noted that he was playing centrally behind the main striker. With just one significant trick in his portfolio, a shimmy with his right and a move outside off his left foot, Young can be easily controlled by a decent full back when he plays on the wing.
His chances against his fellow Ashley, Cole, for instance, would not be ones to relish.
Put him in the centre, however, and his pace and willingness, plus the elusiveness of his late runs, make him a proposition. Ferguson certainly did watch him in Cardiff, and may well have that position in mind.
In which case, Rooney could move back into the creative midfield role that his performances have long insisted he was born to play. And what a performer he might prove to be there: visionary, controlled, leather-lunged and endlessly willing, it is Paul Scholes reborn.
Here, then, is what might well be the United side to line up against Manchester City in the Charity Shield.
De Gea; Fabio, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Jones, Rooney; Valencia, Young, Park; Hernandez.
The future has indeed already arrived at Old Trafford.
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Well, My choice of the starting would be (4-4-2, with De Gea signing officially):
GK De Gea
LB Fabio
CD Vidic
CD Ferdinand
RB Rafael
DM Jones
LM Nani
AM Rooney
RM Valencia
CF Young
FW ChicharitoSubs:
GK Lindegaard
CD Smalling
LB Evra / CD Evans (We don't have much of a choice now do we?)
CM Cleverley / CM Anderson
CM Morrison / DM Fletcher (Fletcher over Carrick anytime)
FW Macheda / LM Park
FW Welbeck / FW Owen (sigh, his contract was extended)------------------------------------Chicharito------------------------------------
---------------------------------------Young--------------------------------------
------Nani--------------------------Rooney---------------Valencia-----------
---------------------------------------Jones--------------------------------------
-----Fabio--------------Vidic-----------------Ferdinand---------Rafael-----
------------------------------------De Gea---------------------------------------
I will drop Evra because he is not playing at his usual level for the entire of last campaign. I will also drop Park because he is really just a wildcard, nothing spectacular, only occasional wonder stuff. I don't think he is better than Nani.
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I think you play too much FM already... haha
1 thing for certain is Jones won't played a DMC... well occassionally when shifting things around when a player is injured of needs to attack desperately. If he indeed starts frequently as DMC then he will be following the footsteps of O'shea unfortunately...
I think Young adds depth to the wing choices rather... with the busy schedule it will be essential to rotate the wings around. I think we might see Welbecks and Cleverly in some action too...
If SAF really didn't buy a midfielder then I hope he has made the right choice of relying on Clerverly or Anderson to fill the Huge boots of Scholes.
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I will prefer this I think...
-----------Young--------------Chicharito-----------Valencia---------
-----------Jones--------------Rooney--------------Fletcher----------
-----Evra-----------Vidic-----------Ferdinand---------Rafael----
---------------------------------De Gea--------------------------------
A 4 - 3 - 3 With Nani, Berba & Owen as back ups.
In midfield, Nani, Carrick, Park, Giggs and Anderson as back ups...
In Defence, Smalling, Fabio, O Shea and Jones as back ups...
Then those like Welbeck, Macheda, Cleverley as back ups, back up... Then there is 2 possibly new talent coming in from the youth side, in Morrison & Pogba...
This set of midfielders will give them a lot of pace and with all of them runners and willing to help out in defence kind, it will get interesting... The speed of United will once again be there unlike last season where there were too many slow-mos like Scholes, Giggs, Berbatov and Carrick playing too regularly...
And when they don't have the ball, they can change to a 4-5-1 easily and keep it compact given the pace of Young and Valencia...
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IMHO, I think Ckeer's formation will be a good fit vs barca, as they are highly mobile, pacey, and posses threat whenever they launches counter. But Jones is a (???) at DMC, esp @ MUFC.
I still think LittlePea is better at the final third of the field when the opposition is forced back, rather a high line like barca and expects him to break thru on his own.