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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Casey Evans

Ralf Rangnick can use Jose Mourinho's Manchester United ploy to unleash duo in Champions League

Ralf Rangnick has a dilemma on his hands at Manchester United.

Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba are United's two best creative players but generally only one has been able to be deployed in the same midfield due to the team needing to retain balance.

Rangnick's latest solution has been to pick them both as "number eights" in a 4-3-3 formation, with Scott McTominay acting as a defensive midfielder behind them to mixed success.

On one hand, United have been creating several chances with Fernandes in the side and Pogba has allowed the team to control the tempo for most of the game.

However, the lack of balance in this midfield has also been exploited many times by United's opposition, with McTominay's limitations both defensively and in possession exposed.

Rangnick, therefore, needs to come up with a solution before the Atletico Madrid game in the Champions League next week.

Leeds United may not be the best game to drop McTominay, as he has been a crucial part of both of United's big wins against their old enemies recently. Given that Marcelo Bielsa usually leaves a man in midfield free due to his man-to-man tactics, McTominay's ability to carry it forward will be very useful despite his limited passing ability.

However with Atletico's penchant for sitting back and making it hard for teams to create against them, United will need to have their best passers on the field, and that means that Jose Mourinho stalwart Nemanja Matic needs to play as the midfield holder.

Matic is a better passer than McTominay and is also a lot safer in possession, having played the role throughout his career. If United want to control the game, they need him in the midfield.

He will link up well with Pogba and Fernandes and be able to find them in more promising positions while offering a relief option when Atletico look to close them down.

The only issue with Matic is his legs. It has been increasingly clear that age is starting to show with the Serbian midfielder and it is unlikely he would be able to last more than 60 minutes before his lack of mobility and stamina started to be a problem for United.

Therefore McTominay or Fred will still be needed as a substitute to come on and replace Matic when that happens to keep United competitive.

But when he is fit and available, Matic needs to start for United. It is the best way to unleash the formidable talents of Bruno and Pogba in tandem.

Who do you think should start in midfield for Manchester United? Follow our United On My Mind writer Casey Evans on Twitter and get involved in the discussion in the comments section below.

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