During the summer, I published a piece touching on the depth that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has in his squad. Furthermore, I predominantly focused on the complexions of a possible systematic switch which was heavily rumoured throughout pre-season. The lack of acquisition of a defensive midfielder (or 'number six' if you like) rather scuppered the proposition of deploying the seemingly favoured 433 system, meaning the existing 4231 approach currently remains. Since the article was released, the signings of Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo have further bolstered the squad at Solskjaer's disposal. How have the new additions changed the setup and dynamics - if at all? Here, I'm going to discuss the best XI that can be fielded when everybody is fit.
David de Gea is all of a sudden one of the first names on the teamsheet again, with his United career revived after being somewhat in disarray as Dean Henderson displaced his Premier League starting place in the latter stages of last term. Henderson was sidelined for a while at the resumption of club football (following the summer internationals) having suffered quite extensively after from bout of Covid-19 subsequent to a hip issue, opening up an opportunity for De Gea to reprove his worth in the meantime. After coming under scrutiny for his performance in the Europa League Final penalty shootout, the Spaniard has cut a determined figure ever since returning early for pre-season training. His resilience has been mightily impressive to restore some form resemblant of his peak years.
It has been an odd start to the season defensively, with new signing Rapahel Varane undoubtedly one of the standout players (following his arrival from Real Madrid) despite a rather poor clean sheet record on the whole. Admittedly, lots of the concessions have been more down to an inability to break up attacking passages as a defensive unit starting from the midfield - which I'll come on to. All in all, Varane has proven why he is one of the world's elite centre backs. The Frenchman is certainly a 'Rolls-Royce' defender, complimenting Maguire impeccably thus far. The former's pace makes up for the latter's slight deficit in that department, with the pair absolutely operating on the same wavelength ever since their first outing together. Really, you don't particularly notice the duo during large portions of matches - a telling sign of good defenders given a distinct lack of errors - such is the efficiency of their output. When called upon to defend, nonetheless, they offer an incredibly reliable output. Their place in the main XI is certainly cemented, yet the pair are currently both enduring respective fitness struggles.
In the absence of both Maguire and Varane in the coming weeks (the captain the closer to returning than the summer addition), it seems that Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly will take on the responsibility in the middle of defence at least this weekend. By now, Lindelof can definitely be classified as a reliable, established and experienced starter after four solid years at the club. The Swede did very well alongside Varane in Maguire's absence against Everton, whilst also starting and impressing in the opening day annihilation of Leeds at Old Trafford. Bailly has spent a year longer than Lindelof at United, though injuries have unfortunately curtailed his playing time to a rather large extent over the five years. He is undisputedly another able deputy, but his erratic nature is concerning and can often hinder his blatant defensive ability. Nevertheless, we could be left in worse hands when our first choice pairing is unavailable. You never know, the returning Phil Jones could even try and have a say at some point - he'll be hungry following such an extensive spell sidelined.
The fullback areas are always a contest, but Solskjaer seems set on Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw. It's hard to argue with the regular inclusion of the latter, who has prolonged the reliable quality which earned him the Players' Player of the Year award last campaign. Wan-Bissaka, conversely, has come under the spotlight again for his frequent attacking ineptitude when outlets are required to break down low-lying sides. However, some good surges and ultimately deliveries down the right against Everton offered promise heading into the international break. Diogo Dalot is waiting in the wings, but his mismatch with Villarreal's Arnaut Danjuma a few weeks back proved the maintained disparity between his and Wan-Bissaka's defensive abilities; you cannot dispute that the former Crystal Palace man is up there as one of the best one-on-one defenders in world football. Regardless, Dalot remains a suitable backup option - and is unarguably superior in the attacking department (he found himself in a sensational area to pick up an assist for Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal within the last week). Similarly, Alex Telles' goalscoring performance against Villarreal has shown that he is entirely capable of deputising on the opposite side as he grows into the English game.
So, moving onto the midfield. It's a topic that never really settles, and likely won't be settled until the signing of an established defensive midfielder creates some stability in the department. In an ideal world, Paul Pogba would be dropped into a more central role. He has proven that's his strongpoint for France when accompanied by a more defensive body, with an ability to control the game from the centre. At United, he'd have this influence either within a double pivot or in a pair ahead of a sole sitter as opposed to in front of a back five. I suppose this flags up the issue - there is no out-and-out, capable midfielder to offer the necessary defensive support.
Nemanja Matic has obviously had masses of experience in that role, but he is unfortunately slowing to a too great an extent and is incapable of playing consistently. In all honestly, the Serb is the mould of player we really need - just a fair few playing years his junior. There is belief amongst the United camp that Scott McTominay could adapt to become this, with Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna working on developing aspects of his game such as the discipline and passing required to be a deeper-lying playmaker. The Scotsman is already perfectly apt defensively and physically in order to operate that defensive midfield role, so refinement of particular other aspects of his game could prove very effective in a bid to establish more structure in the middle. If the training programme is a success, McTominay's inclusion as a lone sitter with Pogba and Bruno Fernandes in advance could still be on the cards - this mean's Solskjaer's intended systematic switch could essentially still occur.
Most things will prove better than McTominay and Fred's midfield partnership, with the duo offering so little in so many areas. Whilst it's stable and not necessarily something that costs us directly in matches, such pivot simply limits us from progressing at all. Again, Fred is an efficient option for depth with his tenacity and hard work, but the lack of persistent quality he offers has let him down over the past couple of seasons. The Brazilian sadly lacks the physical and overall technical attributes to run a midfield as a sole sitter, hence why he usually has to start alongside somebody of McTominay or Matic's ilk.
Ideally, if a double pivot was maintained with Fernandes ahead as a number ten, you'd favour seeing either Pogba or Donny van de Beek included. Pogba is likely to be ushered away from his station on the left of midfield now Marcus Rashford is closing on a return to action, so involvement centrally is certainly on the cards. As aforementioned, the Frenchman does suit a role in the middle, where he is able to float around and consequently create (something which McTominay and Fred rarely offer as a duo). In addition - as I've been very vocal about - why not give Van de Beek an opportunity in that secondary central midfield role? You know my opinions, he very much deserves more of an opportunity here. He has the defensive ability to compliment somebody like McTominay to a sufficient extent, whilst offering that different dimension in a progressive sense. There is quality in this midfield, we just need to establish a successful formula.
Not much needs to be said about the attacking midfield role and Bruno Fernandes: he remains the main creative source in this side, in fact creating the most chances of anyone in the Premier League so far this season. The Portuguese is obviously a mainstay in the XI (likely for many, many years to come), but an in-form Jesse Lingard as a backup is a really good asset to have. Starts have been tough to come by still - with Anthony Martial favoured against Everton - but Lingard has been sensational off the bench nonetheless. Juan Mata remains another alternative if extreme rotation or an injury crisis was to happen, but it's surely time to admit that time is probably up for the Spanish veteran at United.
Finally, I'd like to outline the sheer attacking force we have at our disposal now. Firstly, I'm going to touch on the trio which I (and many others) believe should be the first choice front line. Marcus Rashford: he's back after what feels like an eternity since the Euros. It also seems an age since we last saw him fully fit - with niggles marring him for around the last year. In spite of several knocks, though, he still had possibly his best season to date last term; at 75% fitness for the majority, he still was a standout performer on the left hand side. The return of his flair on that flank will be very welcome, allowing Jadon Sancho (who I'll come onto in a moment) to switch to his more natural right side. Given the quality on display when partially fit over the past year, the prospect of a fully fit Rashford is frightening.
It hasn't been the easiest of integrations for Sancho after his arrival from Dortmund so far, but there are suddenly signs that he is really getting into his groove. He exuded confidence during his Everton cameo prior to the international break, the only player really coming close to engineering a breakthrough after Andros Townsend's equaliser. Moreover, he impressed in England's victory against Andorra at the weekend - providing two assists for the Three Lions. He reflects Rashford's natural desire to beat players, which should in turn help to reinstate some of the values within past United outfits. Often, there has been an imbalance between the flanks in recent times, but Sancho's switch to his preferred right side could restore some of that missing balance. He is hitting form in the nick of time, with Rashford's return to the side a gift given the tough run of impending fixtures.
One thing is for certain, the wide pairs' dynamic approaches will really help provide more service for Cristiano Ronaldo. In recent weeks, he has essentially been living off scraps and has been somewhat fending for himself. Now Rashford is back and Sancho is adapting faster, there should be enhanced creativity for the create number seven to thrive from. With the latter of the wingers now on his natural right side as a right footer, you can foresee some more crosses aimed at the superhuman leap of Ronaldo. The prospect of Pogba switching to the middle to facilitate Rashford's return could also accentuate the service into the attacking areas, with this combination of many factors almost guaranteeing goals.
To close this piece, I have to mention the depth we have in these attacking areas. Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood, Edinson Cavani. Wow. Let's start with the first of the three; Martial has struggled over the past year or so, but a goal after he was granted a start against Everton will do wonders for his admittedly low confidence. For a player who's still young and possesses his quality, limited gametime will surely become frustrating. Given the takeover, Newcastle has been mentioned as a possible destination if he was to depart.
Otherwise, Greenwood has started this season exceptionally well and will be unlucky if he is to lose his place in the XI as Rashford phases back into the side. Regardless, it seems he will get his fair share of minutes as the fixtures continue to accumulate and pile up. His versatility in an attacking sense is a virtue, with the ability to operate through the middle or cover in the wide areas (as can Martial to an extent). With Greenwood, one of the main things over the next couple of years is the volume of things he will learn from the senior figures of Ronaldo and Cavani as he continues his seeming transition into a striker. Once the aging pair call it a day at the club, he will be well poised to fill in their shoes.
Cavani is the last option that I will touch on, actually. I can see him rotating with Ronaldo, and maybe even playing alongside the Portuguese if Solskjaer is brave enough to venture into the realm of a 442 (note Ronaldo could also operate on the left flank in this case). His energy is a virtue for this team, and we cannot forget his influence last season either.
Overall, it's clear that we aren't too far off becoming a seriously top prospect of a team. The defence is extremely stable - even if we become riddled with injuries in such department, we are still in capable hands. Similarly, the quality within the attack is almost infinite; there is a perfect range of youth and experience, with a number of players able to operate in a number of areas if called upon. The midfield does remain problematic, which is an issue given the importance of such area to complete the structural jigsaw. There is so much quality, and in an attacking/progressive sense very little improvement is necessary. The glaring downside is the absence of much balance, with the failure to recruit a defensive midfielder really holding back what is so close to being a perfectly-functioning midfield. Once such issue is eradicated, stability in this side can be achieved. With significant new additions, it's always going to take time to establish absolute fluidity. We're close and, even without a few bits here and there, should still be an almighty force.
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