Ten Hag’s perfect midfield line has taken shape at Man United
Coach Erik ten Hag has helped Man United’s midfield change drastically over the past year.
On this day a year ago, Man United announced the second signing of the summer transfer window, Christian Eriksen. The Dane arrived at Old Trafford on a free transfer after turning down offers to sign a new contract at Brentford, with a reputation as one of Europe’s best attacking midfielders.
Eriksen regularly starts at number 10 at Tottenham Hotspur, scoring and assisting consistently. Accordingly, most people expect him to compete and support Bruno Fernandes in the 10th position. But after being tried by Ten Hag in the virtual 9 position and then defensive midfielder, Eriksen has found it. 8. The former Inter star proved to be excellent as a player playing deep, deploying the ball, leading the game.
After Eriksen, United announced the signing of their second midfielder of the summer, Casemiro from Real Madrid for £60m. The Brazilian has never been a priority for United, with the club spending more than 100 days chasing the signature of Frenkie de Jong. But Casemiro showed him to be the perfect addition at Old Trafford. He brought in the presence of a world-class defensive midfielder and a winning mentality that had been lacking at United for many years.
After a period of depending on the duo of Scott McTominay and Fred, with the trio of Casemiro, Eriksen and Fernandes, Man United finally has a world-class midfield. However, at the end of the season, when Casemiro and Eriksen were absent for various reasons, and also exhausted, the standards began to drop. Ten Hag couldn’t rotate the roster, even in cup matches, probably because the reserve wasn’t good enough.
That is why from the beginning of the summer, Man United made a move to recruit Mason Mount from Chelsea. The England star just made his debut in Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Leeds United in Oslo and made a strong impression. He showed his class when holding the ball, actively pressing, and appeared between both penalty areas. Mount delivers the energy Eriksen has struggled to deliver. He meets many of the criteria set forth by Ten Hag.
With Casemiro, Eriksen and Mount, plus the arrival of young player Kobbie Mainoo, Man United’s midfield is truly quality. It is the combination of a world-class defensive midfielder, a creative player, an energetic midfielder, and a name full of potential.
More than 12 months ago, Man United’s midfield was chaotic and incompetent. Now, Ten Hag will have to wonder to choose his optimal trio.
