The defensive midfielder, the number four, the midfield position so métier and subtle yet criminally undervalued in present-day football. They link up the defense to the attack, disintegrate the opposition’s play, and give cover when defenders run upfield.
Manchester United have tried and tested many different formations to accommodate the midfielders at its armoury.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær has chopped and changed at times but has more often than not gone with his 4-2-3-1 formation, where Scott Mctominay and Fred sit in front of his back four.
The Norwegian has used other formations like the 3-5-2 against Leipzig in the Champions League with Matic and Mctominay protecting a back 3 of Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, and Victor Lindelof.
Manchester’s best defensive midfielder from an attacking and defending point of view is Nemanja Matic. The Serbians ability to break the line was the best at the club, according to a stat at The Athletic.
The ability to pass successfully between the lines in the two most important areas of the pitch is the middle third and final third is vital for ball progression and is something that Manchester United need to control games better.
Manchester needs a defensive dictator. Declan Rice will cost north of up to £80m. If Manchester United wants to go elsewhere for a cheaper option
Here are 3 defensive midfielders Manchester United should sign before and when Matic decides to call it a day.
- Teun Koopmeiners – AZ Alkmaar
Some English football fans may not be aware of AZ Alkmaar captain Teun Koopmeiners just yet. Koopmeiners comes from the famed Cheeseheads academy with prospects like fellow Dutch internationals Myron Boadu and Calvin Stengs.
The 22-year-old Dutch midfielder can play in various positions but under manager Pascal Jensen in the 4-3-3 system plays left midfield or right midfield while also sometimes playing center back, most notably in the 1-0 defeat to league leaders Ajax.
Koopmeiners is prominently left-footed and tops every footballing metric at AZ Alkmaar for an outfield player. His ability on the ball and his distribution allow AZ to work their way out of the counter-press. An 86% pass completion rate means the ball is in safe hands when he receives the ball.
Like Nemanja Matic, Koopmeiners is more than capable of playing defense-splitting passes and possesses an array of passes in his locker. His poise on the ball is shown in his ability to dribble out of tight situations, which could come in handy when United plays Southampton or Liverpool.
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- Manuel Locatelli – Sassuolo
You’ll be hearing more of Manuel Locatelli very soon. The young Italian midfielder left AC Milan to find greener pastures in the province of Modena.
The Italian has gone from strength to strength at Sassuolo. Under manager Roberto De Zerbi’s 4-2-3-1 formation, Locatelli can dictate play at will a bit like Andrea Pirlo used to do during his time at Juventus and AC Milan.
It may be unfair to label Locatelli as a defensive midfielder, but he does occupy a deep-lying playmaker role in the Sassuolo midfield.
This year in Serie A, Locatelli has attempted 1398 passes completed 1233 of those with a pass completion rate of 88%
The playmaker’s ability to play long balls across the pitch is a quality that few in the world possess, and if a team being pressed can use that weapon to switch the ball to the winger or fullback, it could set up counter attacks nicely.
- Aurélien Tchouaméni – Monaco
Admit it, you looked at that name and said,” Who”? Aurélien Tchouaméni is the latest French footballing conveyor belt that doesn’t seem to know when to stop. The midfielder began his senior career at Bordeaux but w make his way to Monaco after signing a four and a half year deal.
Under former Bayern coach Niko Kovač, Monaco is known as Les Monégasques usually line up in a traditional 4-4-2 with Tchouaméni right center midfielder in a double midfield pivot or a 4-3-3 with Tchouaméni the middle of a 3 man midfield.
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Tchouaméni often drops in the space between his center-backs. Tchouaméni is very good at passing forward between opposition players and breaking the first line, a skill that Manchester United need. This season Tchouaméni has a pass completion rate of 82.1% and attempts 2.4 long balls per game.
One of his best qualities is his ability to dribble out from midfield when pressed. His awareness, coupled with his size and speed, gives him the advantage over his opponents.
The midfielder is also excellent at anticipating and reading the game and knowing when the right opportunity is to step out of his position and press the opposition in their own half. He has attempted 0.5 a game this season in Ligue 1
Tchouaméni could be the answer to United’s CDM problem and could be picked up for £16m according to transfermarkt
