Erik ten Hag has made Frenkie de Jong his priority signing for the midfield this summer. And although a number of areas need addressing across the Manchester United squad, most fans would agree that the centre of the park requires a significant upgrade if they are going to compete with their rivals.
But if the club do secure the signing of De Jong, who is going to partner him in midfield? Most United fans would hope that a second midfielder would follow the Dutchman in through the doors of Old Trafford, but if that is not the case then the club would have to look internally.
There are four main options to partner De Jong at United. The first two, Donny van de Beek and James Garner, are more forward-thinking and even though the latter could be adapted to a holding role, he would likely be behind the more senior options at least initially. Fred would probably be the most functional fit, however, he is much more useful in affecting the game further forward so would be better as a rotational option for the Dutchman.
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This leaves Scott McTominay, who many United fans have suggested could be De Jong's perfect partner, given his aerial ability and tenacious tackling. But the reality is that the academy graduate is not good enough technically to make that midfield pivot functional.
McTominay often plays in the shadow of the opponent. By that I mean his positioning in possession is often so poor he marks himself out of the game and denies the defence or his fellow midfielder a passing option by standing too close to the opposition.
It seems like he does this to pre-empt United losing possession and then already be in a position to mark an opposition player, but the irony is by doing this he is making the team more likely to turn over the ball. Ten Hag will have to work on this part of his game as it will also cause problems for De Jong.
If McTominay is never in a position to pass to, and De Jong is picking up the ball from the defence, it will make it easier for the opponents to pressure him and force him into mistakes. It would be catastrophic if United's marquee signing was completely negated due to the club's inability to sign him a suitable partner.
Overall United could take the risk and hope Ten Hag work miracles in turning a 25-year-old midfielder into something he has never been, but the safer option would be to invest in the transfer market to make sure you get the best out of De Jong when you sign him.
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