Mount, Amrabat, Fred?: A Look into Manchester United’s Potential Midfield

With Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat becoming the latest to be linked with a move to Old Trafford, Erik ten Hag is likely to have substantial depth in midfield next season as the Red Devils seek more silverware under the Dutchman.

The Manchester United midfield is shaping up nicely ahead of the 23/24 season, with the club’s recruitment department making early moves to strengthen the squad ahead of a campaign that will likely involve a title challenge, as well as a push for the Champions League knockout rounds.

Having reportedly agreed personal terms with Chelsea‘s Mason Mount last week, reports are now emerging that United are set to do battle with Barcelona to secure the services of Morocco international, Sofyan Amrabat.

Should both Mount and Amrabat arrive on the red side of Manchester, the composition of United’s midfield will start to look extremely interesting, with the personnel available to Erik ten Hag likely to mean United will be able to adjust their gameplan in a more flexible way than was evident in the past season.

Mount and Amrabat would join an already quality-ridden midfield, with Bruno Fernandes, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro representing an established spine of the United team.

With rumours prominent surrounding the sales of Fred and Scott McTominay, two incoming midfielders with additional quality will push the existing starters to improve their performances even further, as well as enable the aforementioned extra flexibility to change play style.

Here are the two ways in which United could be expected to line up next season should the arrivals of Amrabat and Mount come to fruition. The players in black represent the starters while those in yellow show who could be sued to rotate into those positions.

Line-up 1

This midfield line-up is reminiscent of what United have shaped up this season, with Mount replacing Eriksen in the box-to-box role due to his extra energy to get around the pitch.

Erik ten Hag has generally favoured this shape due to its ability to draw United’s fullbacks into the build-up and easily contain any loss of position.

Bringing in two new additions in midfield is likely to offer an improvement on this current shape, rather than drastically alter it, with Mount offering more energy than Eriksen and Amrabat giving Ten Hag a suitable alternative to Casemiro in a more defensive role.

Line-up 2

This lineup could be an option for Erik ten Hag next season but relies on an incoming defensive midfielder who can match the quality of Casemiro, with Amrabat providing a potential option for this.

Ten Hag would likely be eager to have the option to use a double pivot in games that warrant a different tactical approach than is provided by Lineup 1, with Champions League games combined with Premier League games likely to warrant a need for tactical flexibility.

Essentially, two incoming central midfielders could prove significant for United next season due to an increased ability to adapt in-game, as well as set up for alternate play styles prior to the matches themselves.

With Scott McTomminay and Fred looking to be heading away from Old Trafford, transfer fees raised by their sales would be best spent replacing them in the squad with higher quality players in those same positions.