Manchester United have needed a defensive midfielder for a long time now, and many fans were left disappointed when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer failed to address this area in the summer.
It has become clear that in the absence of a dedicated number six, United have been exposed at the back time and time again due to the lack of protection in front of the centrebacks.
And it also affects the team's build-up as well. The team struggles to progress the ball quickly due to Scott McTominay's and Fred's limited passing ability. It stands to reason that Ralf Rangnick's system focuses on control and making the most out of the team's possession as quickly as possible. You would expect Rangnick to look to strengthen in that area.
But the MEN Sport understands that United are focusing more on the summer transfer window and could make up to four significant signings, but this means that there is unlikely to be any movement in the January window.
But a recent transfer story should change that. Sky Sports reported that United was one of several clubs keeping tabs on Lyon's Bruno Guimaraes, a good sign since he is a highly talented midfielder who would seriously upgrade the team's current options.
The only issue is that this information came partnered with the more important news that Newcastle had submitted a bid of around £30m for the Brazillian international. Now, multiple outlets are reporting that bid has been accepted. If this is the case, United should not be allowing it to happen, especially with the financial relief that the loans of Donny van de Beek and Anthony Martial would bring.
All the following statistics for Guimaraes and Declan Rice are from FBref.
Guimaraes arguably could become one of the most complete midfielders in world football. Let's compare him with who many fans believe United's top target is Rice.
In terms of his defensive work, Guimaraes registers 3.57 tackles per 90 minutes played compared to Rice's 2.3. Still, in this regard, it is essential to note a lot of the English midfielders defensive work is through interceptions, where he thrives with 2.85 per 90, which is among some of the best in the world in his position.
The Brazilian, by comparison, only manages 1.6. So both players are defensively solid, but what about their pressing games?
Rangnick is unlikely to be the permanent United manager in the summer, but many of their targets' systems operate with a degree of pressing. Guimaraes also excels in this area, with 23 pressures per 90 with 7.62 (which is a high amount) being successful.
Rice, by comparison, only attempts 14.81 with 4.25 being successful, which shows he is relatively limited in this department and is why when he plays for England, Kalvin Phillips is often the midfielder who joins the forward lines press.
Ball progression is also an important thing to consider, and again Guimaraes has the beating of his English counterpart. The Brazilian completes 7.49 progressive passes, for context against Brentford McTominay combined with Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane only completed eight, and 8.13 progressive carries per 90 minutes played.
Rice, by comparison, carries the ball forward well with 6.13 progressive carries but falls short with his passing with only 3.29 per 90.
Overall, Guimaraes is a complete midfielder; you can see the picture forming from all these statistics. If you wanted the cherry on top, he also creates 3.47 shot-creating chances from his position, which falls in line with United's attacking philosophy.
There is merit in seeing the new manager and planning with them in mind. Still, Guimaraes is one of a handful of players who would suit any system and any top-six club, especially United, would be foolish to allow him to join Newcastle unchallenged.
Do you think Manchester United should sign Bruno Guimaraes? Follow our United On My Mind writer Casey Evans on Twitter and get involved in the discussion in the comment section below.
