Manchester United have been looking to bring more quality to the side, especially in the middle of the park, and this is where the Premier League heavyweights are looking to bring in Inter Milan’s Davide Frattesi in the ongoing summer transfer window.
With Cristian Eriksen leaving M16 this offseason, complemented by the uncertainty surrounding the futures of Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo at Old Trafford, the chiefs at Carrington need to start sorting out their midfield.
And they are looking to bring in a 25-year-old midfielder who has the capacity to play in a box-to-box midfield (RCM, RM, CAM) role, and given how he has unlocked that goalscoring ability in the last season, it does compound his profile. Frattesi netted seven goals complemented by a couple of assists in only 16 starts across all competitions in the last season, and this includes very huge goals against Bayern Munich and Barcelona in the Champions League.
And the lack of minutes did make him really frustrated, and he is looking for a possible change in environment this summer. And this is where Manchester United’s interest pops up…
A brief about Davide Frattesi as a midfielder…
Manchester United are interested in a summer deal for Inter Milan star Davide Frattesi.
He is someone who has the capacity to not only become a vertical runner from that second phase but also act as a third man in sequences. He can also play as a high-octane box-to-box midfielder.
Now let’s get it straight: he thrives on chaotic situations and sequences and loves running into the box and attacking half-spaces while executing aggressive presses from midfield. This in a way reminds me of Scott McTominay.
How can Davide Frattesi tactically fit into Ruben Amorim’s tactics?
The Portuguese teams like to play with a sense of verticality, but then he likes to maintain a compact system where midfielders are layered in a 3-4-3 / 3-4-2-1 system with each player in the middle of the park having defined roles. One of them has to act in a deep stabilising role (this is where you can use Ugarte), while the other must be attacking spaces up front while pressing high and driving more vertically, and this is where you can play Frattesi.
He can play as a right-sided CM in a double pivot (3-4-3) where he will likely play ahead of a stabiliser, and his role would be to crash the box and be an option to revive into zone 14, and he can be a connector with whoever is playing in that right-sided inverted role (be it Amad or Bruno Fernandes). So when Bruno is to go deep, Frattesi goes forward, while when the Portuguese mid is high, then Frattesi drops. Now given his times and late runs into the box, he adds a new dynamism that the Manchester Reds are lacking at the moment. And given his ability, he is a player that constantly asks questions of the opponent’s defence.
When you think about lateral presses, the Portuguese head coach likes his midfielders to cover those zones, especially when the ball is lost. And this is where Frattesi excels in this aspect, given how quick he is at recovery, complemented by how he wins the loose balls and initiates transitional attacking situations. Now he is also someone that presses along with the front line, especially if Amorim puts the front three in a man-to-man press.
You can also play him as a vertical connector of the plays with the forward that is dropping in. So if Cunha is playing up front and he drops in, then the Inter midfielder turns himself into a third man. It would end up being quite similar to how Ruben Amorim used Pedro Gonçalves at Sporting, but then Frattesi has more engine and physicality in this case.
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Author Opinion
Davide Frattesi brings exactly what Manchester United’s Amorim lacks in the middle of the park – someone who possesses an intensity in running while having the capacity to arrive late in the box. He is also apt at pressing all along the game and bridging midfield to attack with urgency.
Now, as I said, he is not a control player; he is more of a chaos agent, but if you put him in a zonal system and a transition-aware system, then he is an asset.