It is becoming increasingly likely with each week that Manchester United will not sign a defensive midfielder this summer. Lisandro Martinez can play in that position but he's naturally a centre-back. It's fair to say Erik ten Hag's transfer priorities have been somewhat surprising.
Ten Hag has signed Tyrell Malacia, 22, from Feyenoord for £12.9million, Christian Eriksen, 30, on a free transfer and Martinez, 25, is set to become his third signing for a fee of £46m. Two of those players have been signed from the Eredivisie. It's clear United have been keen to give Ten Hag what he wants and the Dutchman has turned to signing players from the league he knows the most.
Frenkie de Jong remains Ten Hag's priority this summer and he's obviously a product of the Ajax academy. The waffles and bottles of Heineken in the press room for Ten Hag's first press conference were foreshadowing the Dutch revolution at Old Trafford.
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Malacia, Eriksen, Martinez and De Jong look set to be Ten Hag's first four signings, while the United boss is also expected to sign a centre-forward. Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave the club and Anthony Martial is hardly a reliable source of goals.
It seems Ten Hag would be happy with that transfer business by the end of the summer window, but would supporters? The answer to that question is subjective, but surely most would agree that would mean United have ignored their most glaring problem once again. United are desperate for a specialist defensive midfielder and it would almost be comical if they didn't sign that player.
It has been obvious since Nemanja Matic entered the autumn of his career, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer regularly played Scott McTominay and Fred in his favoured double pivot, that United have needed to sign a quality player in that position.
Three years after Solskjaer's return to the club, Matic has departed and McTominay and Fred still aren't the answer in defensive midfield. It is almost unthinkable that United could start yet another season without a specialist player in that position.
It would be naïve and foolish to think signing a defensive midfielder would represent a magic wand to address all of United's problems. But such an arrival should bring physicality and balance — the latter has been painfully absent in recent years — to the midfield.
United were tragically incohesive last season. The back four was regularly exposed, disjointed and ineffective, and a defensive midfielder would have made the life of Harry Maguire, for example, more straightforward. Ten Hag will try to fix those issues with his tactical input, but it's no coincidence that Manchester City have Rodri and now Kalvin Phillips and Liverpool have Fabinho.
Regardless of whether United sign a defensive midfielder, Ten Hag will ensure United are better organised and there is less space for opponents to exploit, but there have to be serious doubts over a midfield-three without a defensive midfielder again.
Ten Hag might theoretically start with a midfield three of Fred, De Jong and Bruno Fernandes on the opening day of the new season against Brighton. With that, the new boss is clearly going with control and that approach is admirably brave, however, that midfield looks almost certain to be overwhelmed in games against elite clubs. There is a clear lack of physicality and someone to turnover possession.
It seems none of those three players will consistently win key duels, make interceptions and protect the back four. Ten Hag is United's first tactically competent manager since Jose Mourinho, but not signing a defensive midfielder could be a devastating mistake.
United have been here before and it's frustrating that the elephant in the room continues to be ignored. The same tedious conversation around the need to sign a defensive midfielder dominated last season and the noise looks set to continue.
Ten Hag could still yet sign such a player, but United looked prepared to start the new season without one. Club sources have also noted United have four deep-lying midfield options already in McTominay, Fred, James Garner and Donny van de Beek.
Although Ten Hag deserves the benefit of the doubt, he might have gambled with his future due to his summer priorities.
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