Manchester United spent more than £200 million on new players last summer for Ruben Amorim, but their era-defining signing will be made next summer, and they have three players to prove it.
With every poor result and performance, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the small five-game unbeaten run before the Everton loss was a mirage.
Man Utd struggling against low blocks means the next two months could get ugly if they don’t sort it out, because teams know what to do now.
It means their era-defining signing will have to be made next summer. If they get it right, he could make all the difference, as seen at three of the best clubs in the world.
Kobbie Mainoo laughs alongside Declan Rice of England
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Arsenal are currently top of the table, Chelsea are second, while Paris Saint-Germain are the reigning Champions League winners.
All three teams have one thing in common, which is a player at the fulcrum of their XI who makes everything and everyone tick.
For Arsenal, it’s Declan Rice. For Chelsea, it’s Moises Caicedo, and for PSG, it’s Vitinha. All three players have one thing in common.
They are all defensive midfielders by trade, even though they all play that position slightly differently as per the demands of the team.
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Rice is adding more attacking threat to his game, Caicedo is the closest the Premier League has to a “N’Golo Kante 2.0”, while Vitinha personifies Luis Enrique’s slick interplay philosophy.
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Even Man City’s greatest era of success came when Rodri was bossing the middle of the park and holding it all together.
Therein lies the lesson for United’s next summer window. If they get this signing right, he could make the team. If they don’t, strap in for another season of frustration.
Man Utd need to fix the mistake of ignoring a midfielder
It’s baffling that United saw all these elite teams last summer and put a new defensive midfielder at the bottom of their priority list.
The interest in Carlos Baleba was ceremonial at best, since they were never going to be able to afford him after spending close to £200m.
That interest seems to have pivoted to Elliot Anderson now, and if the transfer fees for Rice and Caicedo are any indication, United should pull out all the stops to get him.
Even a price north of £100m shouldn’t deter them, because if they are convinced he can be that Rice/Caicedo-like figure for them, the return on investment will be more than worth it.
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A world-class defensive midfielder is the engine of all elite teams in the current era of football, and United are running a converted forward and a soon-to-be 34-year-old in that position.
They made a mistake by ignoring a defensive midfielder last summer, and Arsenal and Chelsea are making them realise how big an error that was.
Even if United buy just two players next summer, they need to be world-class defensive midfielders to overhaul that department.