Manchester United need to try something new against Burnley this weekendplaceholder image
Manchester United need to try something new against Burnley this weekend | Getty Images
Man Utd need to show serious signs of improvement when they face Burnley this weekend.
There are just four days left of the summer transfer window and Manchester United still haven't signed a midfielder. Ruben Amorim prioritised attacking reinforcement this summer, with over £200 million spent on three forwards, but that was never going to be enough to address all of the issues with his squad.
A lack of goals was indeed a big problem last season, but it was not the only problem. United conceded cheap goals far too often and were often overawed by any side that adopted a physical approach. It is why they were so much better in Europe and why they struggled so much against Grimsby in midweek.
The other problem was with their system. It almost feels pointless to suggest Amorim tries anything different from his trademark 3-4-2-1 approach, and he will probably argue that there is an overemphasis on the formation, that each role is a lot more complicated than video games would make them appear.
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What is clear, though, is that something has to change. United would like to sign a goalkeeper and a midfielder, but they can't keep throwing money at the problems in the hope they will go away. There is something fundamentally wrong with the side that they were left battered and bruised by a League Two side and fortunate to even force the lottery of a penalty shootout.
Just three days after his disastrous display against Fulham, Bruno Fernandes improved his side immeasurably when he was introduced at half-time and was at the heart of everything they did well in the second half. He is not as influential in a central midfield role as he is in an attacking one, but it is clear he has to be part of their starting line up whatever they do next.
United have already experimented with a fluid forward line that does not include a recognised striker, and perhaps that would be the most logical short-term solution while Benjamin Sesko gets up to speed with the physicality of English football. The Slovenian was signed for huge money in the summer but might need longer to settle into his new environment with regular substitute appearances, rather than leading the line for a dysfunctional side.
Doing so would allow Fernandes to play alongside Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo in attack, while it would also provide a space for Kobbie Mainoo in central midfield. The 20-year-old was one of United's better players against Grimsby in midweek, albeit that is not exactly an endorsement, but he makes them a better team when he is on the ball.
There are still obvious doubts about his suitability for the holding midfield role, while he is simply never going to replace any of the many options Amorim has in an attacking midfield role. It seems like Mainoo can only play as the progressive option alongside a deeper defensive midfielder, and he certainly seems like the best option to partner Casemiro in the coming weeks.
In the long term, United would love to have a new anchor to sit at the base of their midfield and shield the defence as well as start attacks, but that will likely come in the next stage of the rebuild, with two or three midfield signings already needed next summer.
Whether that rebuild is under Amorim will depend in part on how they respond this weekend. United had a plethora of problems in midweek, but Fernandes and Mainoo aren't any of them.
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