Manchester United’s Need For A Defensive Midfielder Goes On

With only four days left of the January transfer window, it looks certain that Manchester United will be going into the second half of the season without reinforcing their midfield.

The number six position has been an area of neglect at Manchester United for some considerable time. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted for other positions to strengthen, such as the wings and defence, leaving a sizeable hole in the middle of the park.

Both Solskjaer and interim manager Ralf Rangnick are using a double pivot of Scott McTominay and Fred, which has been useful in some matches where they can perhaps have a higher amount of possession in, but against the elite opposition in the Premier League, the Red Devils have notoriously struggled.

Too many times have they looked ragged and depleted in midfield, failing to get any sense of control on the ball and consequently being overrun and outplayed. Manchester United are in search of that holding midfielder, but none look close to signing at Old Trafford in the very near future.

Dennis Zakaria of Borussia Monchengladbach has been a player mentioned at the club, but even with a cut price of £6 million due to his contract expiring in the summer, the Red Devils’ management are not all in favour of pushing forward with this deal.

The club are set on Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham as midfield options – but it looks increasingly unlikely that they would be able to land both. Rice, who is also very closely linked at Chelsea through his best friend Mason Mount, has been a long-term target of Manchester United, but it is known that West Ham will not sell him for less than £100 million.

Bellingham, while potentially cheaper this summer than Rice, has only been in Dortmund for 18 months and will likely have another season after this to keep progressing his game and taking it to the next level.

Liverpool have been keeping close tabs on Bellingham while out in Germany with one eye on seeing the England international slotting into their midfield for years to come. With three years left on his current deal heading into the summer, Dortmund are going to hold out for north of £80 million.

It is of absolute paramount importance that Manchester United make the position a summer priority, especially if they are to attempt to close the gap on the Premier League elite. Without a world class holding midfielder, the Red Devils’ inconsistencies will carry on through.