Manchester United have bolstered their midfield with Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, but there is still a glaring weakness in the department.
A £35m deal for Youri Tielemans has quickly followed the £48m arrival of Andrey Santos at Manchester United this summer.
Both midfielders have signed long-term contracts at Old Trafford and will add depth, quality and experience to Michael Carrick’s midfield department.
Let me preface this by saying I am excited by the start of United’s midfield rebuild, but there is a glaring characteristic that has been overlooked (so far) this summer transfer window.
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Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Bruno Fernandes have a key weakness
When Ruben Amorim first stepped in as United head coach, he immediately stressed the need for more athleticism in the squad.
Amorim was wrong about many things at Old Trafford, but not this.
The likes of Patrick Dorgu, Benjamin Sesko and Ayden Heaven added some much-needed pace and power to the squad. The Premier League was headed in the direction of needing tall, powerful players to compete.
Carrick is very much heading in the opposite direction.
Youri Tielemans is an elite passer and his technical ability is off the charts. United made a point of highlighting the fact that Andrey Santos made the most progressive passes per 90 minutes of midfielders under the age of 22 upon his unveiling.
There is a clear theme: Carrick wants passers who are confident on the ball.
But the downside is that United’s midfield is now lacking physicality, and that could be exposed in the Premier League.
Tielemans stands at 5ft 9in, the same height as United captain Bruno Fernandes, who will likely play just ahead of him in midfield. Santos is slightly taller at 5ft 11in, but he is still hardly a physical goliath.
United fans may have wiped their memories of Amorim’s corner issues, when the Red Devils were conceding an alarming rate of set pieces early in his tenure. My concern is that Carrick could suffer the same fate with his current recruitment.
The technical ability of the squad has increased drastically with these signings, but the physicality has plummeted. I am confident that Tielemans’ athleticism is being underrated in terms of his running power, but his aerial ability is one of his few weaknesses. It needs to be addressed before the window closes
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How Manchester United can fix their physicality problem
The good news is that United are still in the market for one more midfielder to complete their rebuild.
It’s clear what United need: A duel-dominator. A player who thrives on breaking up play and protecting the back line. A traditional number six.
Between Tielemans, Santos and Fernandes, United have an abundance of creativity, flair, ball-carrying and line-breaking passes. But physicality is needed in modern-day Premier League football.
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I have not been overly keen on United’s links to Carlos Baleba, and his 5ft 10in frame means he doesn’t address the aerial issue. The same applies to Joao Gomes, who stands at 5ft 9in.
Links to Sander Berge make sense given he is 6ft 5in tall, and still capable in possession. Manu Kone is another option at 6ft 1in.
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