With Manchester United looking at midfield reinforcements as a priority in the info for the summer transfer window, as Ruben Amorim looks to add more creativity into the middle of the park, the Premier League heavyweights want to bring in a creative midfielder to support Bruno Fernandes in the middle of the park, and this is where the links to Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu come in.
With reports coming through from Orazio Accomando, the likes of Manchester United and Fulham are said to have put in an inquiry about the Turkish international’s availability in the ongoing offseason. And given the Manchester Reds desire to bring in someone who is good at dictating the tempo of the game and bringing that sense of creativity which complements Bruno Fernandes’s attacking instincts, the 31-year-old could end up being an ideal player.
How does Calhanoglu fit into Amorim’s system?
Manchester United want Hakan Calhanoglu this summer
The Portuguese head coach likes to deploy a 3-4-3/3-4-2-1 structure where the midfielders are tasked with giving you that stability in the midfield and giving you that sense of ball progression from deeper areas.
And Calhanoglu is uniquely suited for this role given that he is really good at picking precise forward passes, especially the ones that end up unlocking defensive lines, and it would also be ideal when it comes to the structural approach of Ruben Amorim.
In terms of replacing Eriksen, the Turk also gives you that set-piece potency given how he has been consistent at it over the years in Serie A.
And given the tactical discipline that he has gained by playing under Simone Inzaghi, he will come in with an understanding of playing in a structured and tactical-heavy system (which he did week in, week out at Inter), and that makes him easily adaptable to play under the Portuguese head coach at M16.
Calhanoglu and Bruno Fernandes can be a synergy that Amorim can use…
I always believed that if you want to unleash Bruno Fernandes fully, you need to partner him with someone who is more willing to allow the Portuguese midfielder to stay higher and between lines without needing to frequently drop deep. And this is where you need someone who gives you that stability in possession, which allows Fernandes a sense of freedom in advanced positions. Lastly, it is also important to give progressive balls to Bruno in dangerous half spaces, and Calhanoglu, given his attributes, will ideally suit these needs at M16.
With Calhanoglu, his positional discipline complemented by his ability to control tempo from the deep ends up giving Bruno Fernandes that space to focus on final-third creativity. And given how the Inter maestro can effectively alternate roles, it will also allow the Portuguese to make more advanced runs knowing that he has a competent passer behind him to support him. And this is where the Turk’s ability to play line-breaking passes through compact defences complements the 30-year-old’s instinctive movement which gives that fluid interplay between midfield and attack at M16.
How can United setup with Fernandes and Calhanoglu?
How can United setup with Fernandes and Calhanoglu?
So in the above setup, Calhanoglu ends up playing in a double pivot where he is paired with a ball-winning DM, but then the current Inter Milan star is playing slightly ahead or level in possession phases. Then you have Bruno Fernandes drifting into pockets between lines, and he is linking with attackers and wing-backs, which is, in a way, the Portuguese focusing entirely on creativity and goalscoring threats.
Calhanoglu’s role will be more like what Eriksen did early during his time at Old Trafford, where he will be tasked with dictating from deep whilst orchestrating the tempo of the structures and providing consistent supply into dangerous zones.
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Author Opinion
Bringing in Hakan Calhanoglu will end up significantly upgrading the creative aspects in the middle of the park and the control it brings. And putting him in alongside Bruno Fernandes will give United a sense of complementary players where one is dictating tempo and progressing the ball whilst another is unlocking defences in advanced spaces.