Manchester United Fan View: Jose MUST buy a central midfielder

Following the reopening of the January transfer window over a week ago, most of the Premier League sides including Manchester United will be looking to strengthen in many ways as they’ll aim to pile the pressure on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

It’s been a controversial period for manager Jose Mourinho, who has helped the Red Devils to progress massively to the next level, however, this has not been easily recognised due to the superb start by the Citizens which has stolen the headlines.

A huge and worrying factor that may come into play is the disinterested and unconvincing hierarchy at Old Trafford, who have not backed the former Chelsea and Real Madrid coach with funds in a way that the Red Devil supporters had hoped for. On top of that, reports within the English media have recently stated that the club will have to sell their players before they potentially buy anyone.

Focusing back on the transfer window, if there was a position that United had to strengthen on badly this month, it would be the centre midfield role. A lot of fans will disagree on this and will feel a left-back or right-winger is needed more, on the other hand, an injury to either Nemanja Matic or Paul Pogba, and the side will be going through another period of mediocre performances and results.

Given that Luke Shaw has started to earn the trust of Mourinho in recent weeks and Ashley Young is always a decent cover option to have, the left-back position should not be seen as an area that needs fixing from now till the end of the season.

Looking at wingers within the squad, most are players that thrive through the central positions, on the other hand, as long as the team is lined up around Pogba and Anthony Martial, the rest of the attackers will go on to normally have a good game.

Overall, United no longer play attacking and dominant football within the 4-2-3-1 formation, which has become an outdated style a long time ago. So far this season, either the 4-3-3 setup or 3-4-1-2 system has proven to be a big hit with the current squad and it’s something that Mourinho needs to take notice of if he wants to have a successful managerial career at Old Trafford.

As Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini are no longer good enough to be regular starters at the club and Michael Carrick is ready to hang his boots at the end of May, the team are seriously running low on proper options to choose from in the middle of the park.

So, the two formations that have just been mentioned, need a central midfielder that is effective on both sides of the pitch and can drive the side into the final third as well as contribute towards the team’s goals and assists.

United already have one in Pogba, though, whenever he is injured or suspended, the team tend to lose their ability to attack effectively and create clear-cut chances. Nearly all the big clubs within the league and in Europe, have two to three central midfielders that control and dominate the game on their own, which is something that United are missing and are in need of if they are aiming to win the Premier League or Champions League anytime soon.

The Red Devils have already been linked with a number of central midfielders since the start of the transfer window, and it’s now up to the board as well as Jose Mourinho to decide on who they should buy if they are willing to bring in one or two new faces to the club.

Hopefully, a talented and proven individual comes in, as United are in need of a player who can adapt to the squad and to the system quickly, not someone who will need a couple of months to adjust themselves to a new environment.