‘Who should Manchester United sign to play alongside Pogba and Matic in a three-man midfield?’

Manchester United’s squad is very solid and they possess world class players. However, they still have issues.

There have been a few signings that have failed to meet their expectations. Such as Lindelof, Darmian and Depay, before he left.

Injuries to key players, such as Bailly and Pogba, have hurt their results. They also have a pretty aging squad; Young, Valencia, Blind, Ibrahimovic, Carrick, etc.

Mourinho has been criticised as lot at Manchester United for under utilising Paul Pogba. Using your best player in a role that isn’t his best doesn’t make much sense. Pogba is one of the best midfielders in the world. This is proved by his transfer fee and four Italian titles aged 24.

Mourinho is known for playing a 4–2–3–1, like at Chelsea. I don’t see his strategy changing. His front 4 is currently an arrangement of Lukaku, Sanchez, Martial and Lingard. Pogba doesn’t seem to be being considered for these roles.

This is how Mourinho set up Chelsea for the majority of 2014/15, where they won the league. This is a team not dissimilar to Manchester United’s now. The midfield two contains Matic and a creative player. Fabregas finished that season with 18 assists in the Premier League. Meanwhile, he also contributed in defence with 3.4 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes.

Matic is the holding midfielder and does most of the defensive work but can’t do it by himself. That’s why Fabregas was so important to that Chelsea side. The question has to be asked if Pogba can perform that role.

This great video by Francesco Sulas showcases Pogba’s defensive weakness. He’s not terrible as 2.4 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes isn’t a bad return. But, he can leave Matic isolated and be ineffective at times.

If Mourinho was to change to a 4-3-3 then I don’t see why Herrera couldn’t fill that role. He gives defensive cover to help Matic and gives Pogba more freedom. Alternatively, Jorginho, Allan, Can, Vidal, Pastore, Seri, Zuculini and Fabinho are names that come to mind.

What Mourihno should do, in my opinion, is stick with his 4–2–3–1. Playing Pogba in the front four, using Herrera or buying a new player to fill that defensive role. Manchester United have the money to spend and need to compete with their rivals, Manchester City.

Pogba is being under-utilised in a deeper role and if moved forwards can show his attacking ability. It would also make him happier as that is his preferred role. The French midfielder fell out with his manager against Spurs over instructions.

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This article was a response to a question on Quora.