Saturday saw Manchester United’s pre-season kick off with an underwhelming 0-0 draw against Leeds United in Stockholm, Sweden.
After weeks of expectations, Manchester United are back, yet many fans will be wishing they hadn’t spent their Saturday afternoon watching the game.
United drew 0-0 with Leeds, a result which won’t be of much concern to Ruben Amorim; however, his team struggled to dominate proceedings, which will be a red flag.
It is only pre-season game number one, with all the players not match fit, and they are still learning to implement the demands of their head coach, which is proving difficult for several of them.
The attack will get better, as Matheus Cunha impressed in his debut appearance, while the impending arrival of Bryan Mbeumo this weekend is another key cog in the machine Ineos are attempting to build.
There is plenty of debate around where United need to bolster next, but Amorim has now stated that one position is not quite up to his liking.
Ruben Amorim wants Manchester United to sign a midfielder
After agreeing to sign Mbeumo, Fabrizio Romano claimed United wanted a new striker as the next top priority; however, the performance on Saturday made it clear that another position is even more important.
Up front, United have Chido Obi showing some signs of potential, while Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee remain in contention. But in another problem area, there isn’t a single option that can do what Amorim wants.
In the midfield is where United’s problems against Leeds were sitting; there wasn’t enough speed and athleticism in the middle of the park to control the match, and Amorim highlighted this after the game while speaking with MUTV.
“We had a lack of pace, especially in the middle of the park, but we created some chances.”
Amorim here is effectively calling out the issue that United also had last season, and is clearly a message to Ineos. Earlier this summer, it was reported that Amorim wanted United to sign an athletic midfielder, and this should really be hurried up now.
Manchester United need to sign Lamine Camara
With a need for legs in the midfield, Ineos should look no further than Monaco’s Lamine Camara.
The Senegal international is a top-tier talent who could be worth double his current valuation in 12 months, as he is going from strength to strength.
Camara is the closest United could come to getting a second attempt at ‘the one that got away’ Joao Neves, and the 21-year-old is set to be Paul Pogba’s midfield partner this coming season, which could bolster his stocks.
Lamine Camara stats and percentiles compared with other top 5 league midfielders
| Statistic | Per 90 | Percentile |
| Assists | 0.24 | 94th |
| Shot creating actions | 3.28 | 82nd |
| Passes attempted | 63.06 | 85th |
| Progressive passes | 5.55 | 70th |
| Tackles | 2.88 | 84th |
| Interceptions | 1.52 | 89th |
| Blocks | 1.42 | 75th |
Camara is one of the best ball winners in Europe right now, with an intensity which is only matched by a few. However, when he wins the ball, he is talented enough to progress play and create for his team, making him the ideal fit for Amorim’s midfield.
Monaco won’t want to sell, with a rumoured £53m valuation more than fair; however, if United are serious about bolstering the midfield, then Camara is the player to do it with.
It would be a case of signing the Moises Caicedo or Carlos Baleba, before they become a £100m player.
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