Man United pre-season: Solskjaer's midfield minefield, does he choose Matic or McTominay?

Matt Jones - Editor 16:33 09/08/2019
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  • Scott McTominay enjoyed a fruitful pre-season.

    Manchester United fans head into the 2019/20 season in buoyant mood. Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have been signed to plug a leaky defence.

    The duo, alongside Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof, as well as David De Gea, now all of a sudden look ship shape as opposed to a shipwreck last term.

    Daniel James also provides a speedy asset up top, building into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s blueprint to set his side up as a fluent, rapid attack that presses their opponents high up the pitch, which bodes well. Something that will also have pleased the boss in the build-up to the new campaign.

    Pre-season has been positive – United won all six of their games (five victories against Perth Glory, Leeds United, Inter Milan, Tottenham and Kristiansund, and one draw, albeit they did overcome AC Milan on penalties in their final clash). And they head into their Premier League opener on Sunday at home to Chelsea in good form.

    In this part of the series, we take a look at just how well the United midfielders performed over the summer.

    MIDFIELDERS

    PAUL POGBA 7

    PaulPogbaManUnited (1)

    He wants to leave, but to be fair to the Frenchman he certainly hasn’t played like it in pre-season – he was nothing short of sublime in dominating performances against Leeds, Inter Milan and Tottenham.

    How unhappy he is to remain at Old Trafford is up for debate. But with Real Madrid unable to come up with the dough United demand and this season a prelude to next summer’s European Championships, there shouldn’t be any need for United fans to panic about how much effort Pogba will put into the 2019/20 campaign.

    Besides, with all the positivity surrounding their summer, plus the addition of some quality players, perhaps Solskjaer can steer the club to some success and that could persuade Pogba his future remains at Old Trafford.

    NEMANJA MATIC 4

    Matic

    Worrying signs of fatigue and decline that rose to the surface last season have stayed very much at the surface during pre-season. There’s no doubt that Matic remains a key figure for Solskjaer. He is a leader and still a fine footballer who can command midfield on his day.

    And yet it is abundantly clear that father time is catching up with the former Chelsea man. His passing range remains as sharp as ever – his right-footed arrow into the channel for Rashford that led to the opening goal against Milan in Cardiff was joyous.

    And yet his spacial awareness and poise have become beyond ponderous, and this is concerning. In the big games this season he could become a liability.

    SCOTT MCTOMINAY 8

    Scott McTominay

    A diamond was unearthed – probably unknowingly – by Jose Mourinho, although the Portuguese must get some praise for showing faith in the young Scot. He hasn’t really looked back since, and has gone from a rough diamond to a far more polished jewel in the capable hands of Solskjaer.

    With Ander Herrera gone, Matic on the wane, Fred needing a big season after a difficult bedding in period and no reinforcements brought into the engine room, United are in need of some muscle and movement in the middle.

    Though no great goalscorer or a passing carousel, McTominay offers amazing athleticism, grit, effort and desire. One of United’s standout stars of the summer, he’s deserving of a start against Chelsea and could be in for a big season.

    FRED 6

    Appeared late in the day after being allowed extra time off this summer to get married. Solskjaer will be hoping the Brazilian also marries obvious hard work and effort with cohesion and consistency this season following an erratic first campaign at Old Trafford.

    The former Shakhtar Donetsk dynamo at times looked excellent last year. Most of the time though he had trouble delivering a five-yard pass to a team-mate and struggled badly with the pace of the Premier League.

    Put in a few steady performances over the summer. A big season ahead.

    ANDREAS PEREIRA 7

    Pereira (1)

    The Belgium-born Brazilian appears to be on the cusp of a career-defining season at Old Trafford, or was that last year? It was certainly not a spectacular 2018/19 for the 23-year-old, grabbing one goal – although it was a belter – in 22 appearances. His biggest fault yet again though seems to be that he is not an elite operator in a sub-par team.

    Has, however, looked hungry and fiery in pre-season, getting into a number of altercations with opposition players as if irked at not yet being a fully established member of this squad.

    Looked good throughout the summer, intricately linking defence and attack – with the schemer looking far more effective in an advanced midfield role. His assist to set up Anthony Martial for the opener against Spurs was sublime.

    JAMES GARNER 6

    Scored a screamer when coming off the bench to replace Luke Shaw against Perth in the opening game of the summer, but curiously played only 12 more minutes, another cameo in the ensuing 4-0 win over Leeds United.

    Didn’t travel with the squad to Norway and Wales, but his time will surely come. The England Under-18 midfielder is highly-thought of at the club.

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