Manchester United want to build on their midfield options in the ongoing summer transfer window, and while many names have been linked with a move to Old Trafford for a while, a new name from the German top tier has emerged of late, and it already has ties with Manchester, albeit the other side of it; the Manchester Reds are looking to sign Man City academy graduate Felix Nmecha.
Felix Nmecha is plying his trade with Borussia Dortmund at the moment, and given how there are lingering questions about United’s midfield and the squad balance at M16 under Ruben Amorim, especially with the departures of Christian Eriksen complemented by the expected exit of Casemiro, the supporters are expecting at least one new marquee incoming in the middle of the park in the ongoing window.
And given that the Premier League heavyweights are already spending a lot on the arrival of the likes of Matheus Cunha and a possible arrival of Bryan Mbeumo, the funds for other positions won’t be as much, and this is where the scouts at Carrington have to pull a rabbit out of the hat and get a bargain player, and this is where Nmecha comes in, given his exceptional qualities.
Nmecha is a box-to-box midfielder who played 39 times in all competitions for Dortmund last season, and he netted six goals and registered a further tally of three assists in the meantime, and whilst being a regular in the lineup at Signal Iduna Park, he has become an integral part of the setup at Dortmund.
To me, Nmecha is a unique profile given how he combines physical dominance with surprising creative subtlety and that with his frame of 6’2” complemented by the elegance that he boasts on the ball and his ability to play like a hybrid between a No. 8 and a mobile No. 10 – he would be a coup.
Strengths
He is an interesting player to me. Nmecha has that strong engine and composure in tight spaces which aids in making him a good fit in a structured system like the one that Ruben Amorim has deployed at M16. And the fact that he has this spatial awareness makes him ideal if you slot him in that 3-box-3 or 3-4-3 under the Portuguese head coach where he is rotating between zones.
The Man City academy graduate is also really good at his progressive carrying, where he brings that midfield transition, especially in compact lines of passage. The 24-year-old also has that passing range given how he can switch play or slip balls through pockets whilst enabling wingbacks or runners. And then he has that willingness to do the hard work, be it pressing or dropping into a double pivot or screening for the backline.
How does Nmecha fit into Amorim’s midfield model?
Felix Nmecha at Manchester City.
Felix Nmecha at Manchester City. (Photo by Alex Burstow/Getty Images)
Amorim has transitioned United into a 3-4-3 / 3-4-2-1 structured side, which is very much in line with what the Portuguese head coach used at Sporting Lisbon, and if I am picking out the role of a midfielder in these structures, they are tasked with both controlling possession and pressing high. And Nmecha would likely fit into the right-sided central midfielder role in a 3-4-3 where he will play as a double pivot and give you that vertical running alongside a build-up support in that inside-right channel.
You can also use Nmecha as an inverted wide #10 where he plays in a box midfield system, so here you can use him to drift into the half-spaces and link up plays.
Irrespective of where you play him, given that he has that mobility complemented by the passing ability and press resistance, you would be getting an invaluable presence, especially if United are planning to build around Bruno Fernandes and a deeper-lying #6.
Nmecha has bit if an injury history…
I do think that you’d need to do a bit of physical management with him given how he has had injury problems in the past two seasons. One where he missed 18 games in 2023/24 because of hip problems and then also the 16 games last season owing to a ligament injury. So even if United sign him, Amorim will have to be careful about not running him into the ground.
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Author Opinion
Manchester United are set to be without veteran duo. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
With Eriksen gone and Casemiro to be sold, Nmecha is much needed at M16, especially given how Man United need a midfield creator with a vertical threat. And then he also is that tactically disciplined figure, and he also has that intelligence, which is enough to execute rotations and pressing traps in the current framework that is deployed at Man United.