Former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has exposed a huge mistake his former club made in the latest summer transfer window.
Manchester United have had a slow start to the Premier League season and currently sit in 10th after seven games played.
Ruben Amorim’s side would have been hoping to show more promise on the pitch, with some of their performances leaving a lot to be desired.
In the summer window, the Reds bolstered their frontline with the additions of Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Šeško and Bryan Mbeumo while also signing Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
The midfield was once again ignored and that is the area of the pitch which is causing Amorim the most problems right now, with Bruno Fernandes also struggling to find form in the deeper role.
Hargreaves exposes huge United transfer mistake
Owen Hargreaves has suggested that United made a mistake by signing two players for the no.10 positions in Amorim’s system when Fernandes is arguably the best player in that position within the Premier League.
The ex-midfielder believes that it would have been a better use of funds for United to sign another deeper midfielder and instead use Fernandes in the forward areas where he does his best work.
Speaking on The Breakdown podcast, Hargreaves said: “Bruno is their best player by a country mile, then they go and sign two number 10s to play in his position, and he has to play as a defensive midfield player almost.
“I appreciate that you needed more goals. They (United) have thought that more goals will get us higher up the table than, say, a world-class goalkeeper.
“But actually, you have the best number 10 in the division, and you drop him (deeper) because you want someone to play through midfield because you have Cunha and Mbeumo.
“So why didn’t you just sign a central midfield player to play there and let Bruno do his thing with Cunha? Then a goalkeeper. It would have fixed a lot of issues.”
Many United fans will agree with Hargreaves
While both Cunha and Mbeumo have impressed in their short stints at Old Trafford so far, it is hard to argue with Hargreaves’ logic and many fans agree with his viewpoint.
Fernandes has excelled as a no.10 since his United arrival in 2020 but he currently has way too much defensive responsibility and it is hurting his form.
The only way United could have made this approach work is by signing a top class defensive midfielder to partner Fernandes and allow him a little bit more freedom.
But instead, the Reds are relying on Casemiro or Manuel Ugarte to play alongside the club captain and neither are currently good enough to cover for the Portuguese in a defensive sense.
Some fans have suggested that Amorim changes the frontline to having one no.10 and two split-strikers, which could allow Fernandes to return to his favoured position while having two of Cunha, Mbeumo and Šeško ahead of him.
That sounds like something worth trying although it is doubtful that Amorim makes any changes to the shape his team plays.
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