Shopping for Ten Hag: The Bargain Bin - Part 3, Defensive Midfield
During the summer The Athletic’s Carl Anka, Mark Carey, and Maram AlBaharna wrote a series of pieces entitled “Shopping for Ten-Hag” where they looked at positions that the new Manchester United manager may have wanted to strengthen before the 2022-23 season. They would then explore how Ten Hag had previously used players in that position, before recommending some who could serve a purpose for United in the future.
This series functions much like The Athletic’s “Shopping for Ten Hag” series but with less of a focus on how the manager has previously used players in that position, less graphics (I’ve been attempting to make them with different stuff since the last piece, still hurts my brain), and less professionalism all round.
One change from Part 1 to be aware of is that this series will now not just be focusing on the January transfer window, but on the summer window too, should the Glazers not be able to sell the club by then. Even if the Glazers sell up and Manchester United have ownership that are capable and willing to splash the cash by the summer, these players should be a major point of focus.
This change also came about after the signing of Wout Weghorst on loan revealed that United may not have the expected figure of around £20m to spend this window, it seems that there is now just below £10m available (not counting what was spent already on Weghorst)
Part 1 focused on Centre Forwards
In Part 2 we got into some Right Backs.
Now we’ve reached our final part.
Today’s subject is Defensive Midfielders.
I pushed forward my writing of this piece because of a crisis for Manchester United. In their game against Crystal Palace on the 18th of January, Casemiro received his 5th yellow card of the season during the last game where that would mean he would face suspension for the following match. That following match happens to be against top of the table Arsenal at The Emirates. Every point matters for United now that we’ve officially reached the midway point of the season, so missing a player with the ability and passion of Casemiro for a contest of this magnitude is a huge loss.
So who will replace the Brazilian in the Starting XI? Well you see, that’s where the real problem lies. If United had a backup in the position, the immensity of the issue would be lessened. But they don’t. Their best options are two players much better suited to playing as 8’s.
One of those is Fred, who had a stellar outing after being given the job of marking Kevin De Bruyne out of the Manchester Derby on January 14th, and was most likely going to be given that same job with Martin Ødegaard against Arsenal. Fred is a great role-player when given a specific job to do. Fred does a lot of things well. Really well. He also is not good in certain areas, and the things he isn’t good at, he’s really bad at. In the simplest of terms, Fred is a defensive minded number 8. In general he’s just a complete nuisance to play against. As a starter in the previous 3 seasons Fred lead United in Tackles Won per 90, with no one else on the team being particularly close. He ranks in the 74th percentile in tackles + interceptions per 90, but it’s his quick feet and quick instincts that really help him out. Fred is the best player in his position in the Top 5 Leagues in total blocks (2.09 per 90) and ranks in the 99th percentile in blocked passes. It’s what makes him a huge asset in breaking up opposition counter attacks.
That’s all wonderful as a transition defender, but at any other time, having Fred as the deep man you need to rely on is dangerous. Fred is small, and while he has shown to be very feisty and never shies away from a skirmish, he is not a physical presence in midfield. He gets bodied off the ball far too easily. It’s also pretty common to see him not being able to engage physically in the middle of the park, leading to people blowing right by him.
If you’re opting against starting Fred, then Scott McTominay is your only other option to play as a 6. I made my opinion about McTominay playing in Defensive Midfield very clear in a recent piece I wrote about him, which I have linked below.
It’s also not uncommon to see Fred or Scott McTominay seemingly jumping out of the way of a challenge in midfield. There seems to be an avoidance of committing tactical fouls that was drilled into both under Solskjaer, and this still shows up in problematic moments. And it’s not like they shy away from making any fouls at all. The two rank in the 32nd and 2nd percentiles respectively for fouls committed, and if they’re not being committed in transition or the middle of the pitch, that leaves a lot coming right at the edge of United’s box.
So United need someone to go to if Casemiro is missing. Preferably — as with many of my choices in this series so far — they should be a young player with high potential who can be mentored by the Brazilian brute and eventually take over from him in the position when the now 30-year-old (31 in late-February) either moves on from the club or loses the ability to be a starter week in, week out. They also need to currently be at least capable of playing at a high level against the weaker competition in the Premier League, giving ten Hag an option available so he can rest the star.
In the last two parts of this series I have recommended 3 players, any of whom Manchester United could opt to bring in. This time, I have only written about 2 players. I think United should be signing both. The first in the upcoming Summer transfer window, the second as soon as possible before anyone else snaps him up.
Let’s get down to it.
Ibrahim Sangaré - PSV Eindhoven
Somebody sign him already!
Ibrahim Sangaré is a 25-year-old defensive-midfielder currently playing in the Eredivisie for Dutch side PSV Eindhoven. He is quite simply, outrageous.
Sangaré left the Ivory Coast in July 2016 and joined French club, Toulouse. After four years at Toulouse, he left and attracted interest from many European sides. Ultimately the Ivorian made the switch to Dutch giants PSV for €7m. If you haven’t heard of him before, I can safely assume you’ve never watched a TIFO “Sensible Transfers” video before. There’s a reason why they keep recommending him.
The Ivorian has quickly established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Eredivisie and it is likely that he will depart PSV in the coming summer. He reportedly has a release clause of €35m (£30m).
Sangaré is exceptional defensively and is an incredible ball-winner. His tough tackling has seen him average 3.42 tackles per 90 minutes played in the last year, placing him in the 96th percentile amongst his peers. If you then check his tackles won (2.05 per 90) you’ll see he ranks in the top 3% of midfielders there. In addition to this, Sangaré also averaged 2.05 interceptions (98th Percentile) and won over 60% of both his ground duels and aerial duels per 90.
Sangaré is also outstanding on the ball. His passing is an attribute which he has really improved at PSV. He has completed 73% of his passes this year, but has a very high usage rate and passes much more often than many of his counterparts, ranking in the top 3% of touches and top 5% of passes attempted per 90, also being ranked in the 94th percentile in passes completed. He also completed 77% of his attempted long-range passes which shows he has a great passing range. His decision-making on the ball is relatively impressive and his positioning is also quite good.
Sangaré would be a very intelligent signing for United. With his release clause of only €37 million coming back into effect this summer, he wouldn’t take up too much of United’s summer budget, whether it’s a small amount under current ownership or a large amount under new owners.
Sangaré has proven himself as a top-class midfielder in the Eredivisie over the last few years. The time has come for a move to a major team and Old Trafford could be the perfect next step in his career. This is a summer option for the club, and there’s no better option out there if you want someone ready to contribute at the highest level immediately.
Fabrício Díaz - Liverpool Fútbol Club de Montevideo
19-year-old Diaz has been a regular for Uruguayan club side Liverpool de Montevideo over the past couple of years, with over 80 appearances to his name already. Diaz burst onto the scene with an auspicious debut, starting and scoring in the Supercopa final in a 4-2 victory over Nacional a day before his 17th birthday. He was called up to the Uruguay National team for their final World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Chile and was on their Reserve list for the World Cup itself.
Captain of the Uruguay U20s and seemingly the person that Liverpool go to as their on-pitch leader when the going gets tough, Diaz is a natural at this game we all love so dearly and his adaptation to senior men’s football has been absolutely seamless. Inevitably all of this brilliance at such a young age has marked the defensive-midfielder out as one to watch, whilst also providing us an early example of his maturity and mentality.
Diaz’s dynamism and energy allow him to cover plenty of ground, whether it be shielding the defense, making himself receive passes, or advancing the ball forward. Indeed, when the shackles are off he also has everything to fulfill a more box-to-box role. He uses the ball well, averaging a pass accuracy of 85%, and has a good range of passing too. While he tends to go for sensible shorter options, he has averaged 13.1 forward passes and 6.46 progressive passes per 90 this season, which are great numbers for a player anchoring the midfield.
If I could pick an everyday job that best defines what Diaz’s game is all about, he’d be a Security guard. Constantly aware of his surroundings (Paul Scholes will be happy to see how much he scans), quick to spot gaps in his own defensive line and clean those issues up, and very quick to back up his teammates no matter what. He’s only 19 but during every game that I’ve watched this young man play there’s been at least one moment where he’s done something which would make me, just as a fan, want to run through a brick wall for him. Ridiculously inspirational.
Along with the strength of his personality, his physical attributes and technical skills, Diaz performs well in the defensive metrics too. This season he has averaged 6.8 defensive duels, 10.15 recoveries and 5.7 counter-pressing recoveries per 90 and is also someone who fits in well with a side that looks to win the ball high up the field. While Diaz excels in duels and pressing opponents, he is also a very press-resistant player and does well transitioning from defense to attack. What’s more, in his short career Diaz has also shown great consistency and durability, very rarely missing a match.
As you would expect from an exuberant all-action midfielder, Diaz picks up a fair few cards and will need to work on his discipline going forward, but that will come with better training and better quality players around him. A lot of the fouls he commits which result in cards come him cleaning up after poor moments of play from his teammates.
Another factor in what makes Diaz such an influential figure and a promising player is his tactical understanding. Liverpool technical secretary Gustavo Ferrin has called him a “strategist”, stating that he is always looking to evolve and absorb more information on how to learn and improve. He has been noted as being very stuious, wanting to know everything he can possibly know about upcoming opponents as well as the preferences of the players he plays alongside. A perfect player for Erik ten Hag.
Not 20 until February, Diaz has plenty of time on his side but has already packed a lot into what looks to be a very promising career. For me, he is the perfect Casemiro understudy. United need to start buying players cheaper from the source, rathen than letting them go to the likes of Brighton or Benfica for a year before everyone decides they’re suddenly worth £50m+. Right now, with very little money left in the bank, is the perfect excuse to move on to this way of thinking. Diaz is going to be a star Defensive Midfielder. United should snap him up ASAP.
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