Image: Getty Images

After the double signings of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, Manchester United. The Red Devils are prioritising midfield signings over the summer window. Why are they doing this and what does this bring to the team?

A Multi-Profile Midfield

    With the return of Champions League Football, 3 game weeks are incoming. A shallow squad, especially midfield as they do the most, means that the squad will be fatigued, leading to more mistakes which makes the team more vulnerable. Carrick and the board will be strengthening in midfield to eliminate that fatigue and enable players to be rested. A key feature of their midfield signings is that they are all different players. Andrey Santos is a dynamic ball winner who wins 2/3 of his duels. His excellent passing also means that he provides stability in midfield and is the perfect player to break up play. Youri Tielemans on the other hand, is more of a deep playmaker who conducts play. He broke the most lines per 100 passes for Aston Villa last season, and is completely ampidextrous on the ball, this is very useful as it is harder to tackle him but on the flip side, it allows for him to get past players more easily and get forward. His passing is not only attacking, but they are accurate, with 85.1% being accurate. This diversiy in midfield means that there are many different calibres of players, who all have different playing styles. This results in an amazing combintion that allows for united to unlock defenses and keep the opposition at bay with ease.

Image: Кирилл Венедиктов, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Squad Rotation and Strength In Depth

    As previously mentioned, the return of Champions league at Old Trafford means more games and therefore more of a physical burden on the United Players. Regularly, they will be playing 3 games per week and all of them have great meaning as the Premier League and Champions League are very important competitions and it is crucial that they do well in both. In the latter half of last season under Michael Carrick, the Red Devils took the Premier League by storm and got 39 points including 12 wins, this equates to a win rate of 70.58%. Additionally, since January, United have topped the Premier League Table above Arsenal and their city rivals. The increased amont of games will mean fatigue and thats why they have invested, and continue to invest, so heavily in midfield so that the squad can play well week in, week out. They have specifically done heavy midfield transfers due to that they do the most work on the pitch. There is no doubt that games are won in midfield and midfielders do the most work. With this taken into account, it allows for the engine room of the squad to work effectively throughout the entire season and continue to score, press, defend and do so much more and influence games. It's like Formula 1, you dont keep the same tires for the race because they get worn out and punctured. The same applies to a football, it's you keep the same 11 on the pitch every week, they will get tired and make more mistakes, hence why you have subs and other players that have freash legs and are fully focused to play.

Image: Shutter Fotos, Flickr, CC BY 2.0

Replacing Departures

    With the departures of midfield anchors like Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte missing most of the upcoming season due to injury, that leaves a big hole in the centre of the pitch and these star players, especially Casemiro, need replacing. United have been speedy in replacing the Brazilian, they have aquired top quality midfielders like Andrey Santos, who is a perfect replacement for the departing Casemiro due to the fact he is an excelent ball winner who is a prominent danger from set pieces. This investment also means that there is back up if a player gets injured or leaves; therefore meaning it benefits the economy of Manchester United and INEOS because they already have a replacement to fill in. 

Image: Bryan Berlin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

New Players For Michael Carrick's System

    The permanent appointment of Michael Carrick means that the board will have to invest in new players to suit the system the gaffer plays. Players like Andrey Santos are perfect for Carrick's system. Santos, who has a 68% duel win rate, and will fit in well in the double pivot in midfield as he can break up play and Youri Tielemans would be an amazing player to play alongside him in that double pivot for to the fact that he is a deep laying playmaker with 85% of his passes getting to their intended destination. Carrick plays a very aggressive front 5 in possession and Tielemans' elite passes can get to the forward line with ease. Additionally, Youri Tielemans has the most line breaks per 100 passes in the entire Premier League last season.

Final Words