Potential Matic Replacements

Adnan

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One thing to keep in mind is the Matic replacement doesn't need to be exactly like him, as in it doesn't need to be a big unit CM, there are some very good smaller DM's around.
Of course, but it depends on the profile of player Ole wants I guess. Will he favour the play making type or someone like a Fernandinho who could pass to a good level but could also eat up ground.
 

Devil may care

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Of course, but it depends on the profile of player Ole wants I guess. Will he favour the play making type or someone like a Fernandinho who could pass to a good level but could also eat up ground.
That's one of the interesting aspects with Ole, we've not seen him build a team without constraints yet, and right now he's working brilliantly with what he's got but he may have ideas to tweak things that aren't apparent yet.
 

Adnan

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That's one of the interesting aspects with Ole, we've not seen him build a team without constraints yet, and right now he's working brilliantly with what he's got but he may have ideas to tweak things that aren't apparent yet.
I'd be interested to know what type of DM Ole preferred at Molde? Any Norwegian fans like to enlighten us?
 

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I'd be interested to know what type of DM Ole preferred at Molde? Any Norwegian fans like to enlighten us?
I saw a video on his Molde team when he was announced as interim manager and it said he used two all rounders who played fairly square of each other more so than a pure #6/#8 combo, but then he didn't have to consider that unique LCM role Pogba thrives in..
 

Adnan

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I saw a video on his Molde team when he was announced as interim manager and it said he used two all rounders who played fairly square of each other more so than a pure #6/#8 combo, but then he didn't have to consider that unique LCM role Pogba thrives in..
That's interesting..
 

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That's interesting..
Yeah, I think we wont truly know until Ole has had a transfer window as it depends what type of players he could get at Molde and of course the fact he didn't have a Pogba-like figure to shape the team around, I mean if he went for the same base as he had at Molde then Pogba would almost be in the role Gerrard had under Benitez at Liverpool.
 

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Dunno about as a replacement for Matic but Ward-Prowse would be a great signing for us. Said as much last season too but there was no way Jose would have considered him. Strikes me as a proper United player.
 

Adnan

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@FFK Norway

I think it's best we discuss Sander Berge in this thread.

I've only seen YouTube vids of the player, but he does look very talented. Could you shed some light on his passing abilities? Would you say his passing is comparable to Matic or better?
 

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Dunno about as a replacement for Matic but Ward-Prowse would be a great signing for us. Said as much last season too but there was no way Jose would have considered him. Strikes me as a proper United player.
What does that mean?
 

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Likes to attack, good with ball at his feet, takes a great free kick and gives his all for the cause.
So he's a general midfielder in the premier league, got it. Not sure how that has anything to do with United. We've had plenty of great players very unlike that
 

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OK, as you're making an issue out of it, I think he'd be a great fit at United.
Cool. I personally liked him and was aware of his superb set pieces since he first came into the Southampton team and to be honest I expected him to develop more than he has done since then. And I don't really see us adding him because I don't think he improves us other than with set pieces. I think if we get a great set piece taker it'll be someone who also improves our general play. We have a slightly younger and not as proven version of him in Andreas as well. So if we wanted that type of player we could just stick with him
 

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Cool. I personally liked him and was aware of his superb set pieces since he first came into the Southampton team and to be honest I expected him to develop more than he has done since then. And I don't really see us adding him because I don't think he improves us other than with set pieces. I think if we get a great set piece taker it'll be someone who also improves our general play. We have a slightly younger and not as proven version of him in Andreas as well. So if we wanted that type of player we could just stick with him
I've been watching him for a while too and he rarely disappoints. I think he has a bit more than Andreas; he's a very good passer of the ball and is a decent dribbler. Makes use of space to get his forwards moving and is good out wide or more central. Good stamina too. His dead ball skills are exceptional. Andreas, for me, is a bit lightweight and too easily muscled off the ball in tight situations. If he has space and time to think, he's very good but he has been peripheral in games where the opposition have closed him down quickly. We should persevere by all means but, for my money, the jury is still out. WP, on the other hand, is in a relegation dogfight and is head and is showing terrific character.
 

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I think it's best we discuss Sander Berge in this thread.

I've only seen YouTube vids of the player, but he does look very talented. Could you shed some light on his passing abilities? Would you say his passing is comparable to Matic or better?
Well Lagerbeck our Swedish manager mean Berge has one of the best eyes for football as he have ever seen. Very good trained and he has really good passes. Sevilla has tried to buy him two times but has gotten a no. But he's manager realize that he will move on next season cause he is ready for bigger tasks than Belgium football.

Imagine a season were he can step in for Matic so Matic get rest. And imagine all he can learn from him in that season thing is Norway have a really golden generation on our hand. We have so many good players around in euro clubs atm around 20 it's even better than our Henning Berg generation and that's how longer ago sence we qualified for stuff. And back then it was Norwegian players in almost every premier league club.

It is a danger for Solskjær to buy Norwegian players cause if they flop they will flop harder than if the player is from England. But Berge is a rare talent. Few dm play the way he do.
 

Adnan

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Well Lagerbeck our Swedish manager mean Berge has one of the best eyes for football as he have ever seen. Very good trained and he has really good passes. Sevilla has tried to buy him two times but has gotten a no. But he's manager realize that he will move on next season cause he is ready for bigger tasks than Belgium football.

Imagine a season were he can step in for Matic so Matic get rest. And imagine all he can learn from him in that season thing is Norway have a really golden generation on our hand. We have so many good players around in euro clubs atm around 20 it's even better than our Henning Berg generation and that's how longer ago sence we qualified for stuff. And back then it was Norwegian players in almost every premier league club.

It is a danger for Solskjær to buy Norwegian players cause if they flop they will flop harder than if the player is from England. But Berge is a rare talent. Few dm play the way he do.
I'm probably wrong but watching him on YouTube he reminds me of a young Steven Gerrard. Similar physique and very good at driving forward with pace.

Thanks for the insight, I will keep a close watch on Berge from now on.
 
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sam147

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Have we even been linked to Berge? Only expecting us to make 3 signings this summer CB, FB and RW. I still think we should be looking for a DM. However, maybe the club now believes McTominay might be the guy for the job. Still not so sure about McTominay, he seems to be a decent squad player but he isn't good enough to start. Rodri would be first choice if we do sign a DM
 

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The latest rumour .around him is that Tottenham is gonna bid 25 mill euros for Sander Berge. Sees him as a replacement for dembele that left them in January.

Genk bought him for 1,8£ they outbidded Everton.
Last summer Sevilla had a 17,5 £ or something like that turned down.
 
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I'm probably wrong but watching him on YouTube he reminds me of a young Steven Gerrard. Similar physique and very good at driving forward with pace.

Thanks for the insight, I will keep a close watch on Berge from now on.
Yes in some ways he remind abit about him and he has a very good speed in his play.
 

Devil may care

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@Devil may care What's your thoughts on Sander Berge?

I don't think we can sign a DM without your approval..:D
:lol: Well I'm only going off the video you posted and there are certain things you can't judge fully as the footage is mostly from the Jupiler league which isn't great quality. The things that do stand out are he has good balance and mobility for his size and has a burst of speed that can break the lines, could be an interesting punt for a low price but he does look like the sort of player who'd make a smaller step before joining a club like United just due to where he's coming from.

The latest rumour .around him is that Tottenham is gonna bid 25 mill euros for Sander Berge. Sees him as a replacement for dembele that left them in January.
Dier?
 

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I've been watching him for a while too and he rarely disappoints. I think he has a bit more than Andreas; he's a very good passer of the ball and is a decent dribbler. Makes use of space to get his forwards moving and is good out wide or more central. Good stamina too. His dead ball skills are exceptional. Andreas, for me, is a bit lightweight and too easily muscled off the ball in tight situations. If he has space and time to think, he's very good but he has been peripheral in games where the opposition have closed him down quickly. We should persevere by all means but, for my money, the jury is still out. WP, on the other hand, is in a relegation dogfight and is head and is showing terrific character.
Yeah WP is obviously far ahead for now, but he also has far more experience in his position. Given time I'm sure Andreas can do what WP does for Southampton. I just dont think thats really likely to happen because we'll sign and play better players than WP and Andreas, imo.

But then again I would have thought the same about Lingard. I would have said a few seasons ago that right wing would be the most obvious improvement to our attack and Lingard is the one easiest to improve upon so he probably wont get time to develop at United. But he has had plenty of involvement over that time. So its really quite hard to say who will get lucky and who wont. If he has space and time to play and improve Andreas can do much like WP, but if we wanted to skip a step or two WP might be a signing. But for me if we're going to sign someone, even if we're looking to sign British players and people who count as homegown, then we'd go straight to someone like Maddison rather than WP. He too is a good set piece taker, but also very good at throughballs and is now playing as a central midfielder for Leiecester
 

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When you think about it, we don't really play with a holding midfielder. We play with a double pivot, with Pogba on the left and our right winger dropping, which then effectively becomes a 4222.

Our first choice double pivot in Matic and Herrera is solid. Defensively very sound. However, the two of the them lack top class passing range.

As others have said, we need to be looking at someone who has the ability to control the game from deep.

We've recently been linked with Rakitic. Although he's 30, that profile of player would be perfect sitting next to Herrera/Matic, in my opinion. Players like Pjanic, Kroos and Verratti are also very good options and the kind of midfielder we should be targeting.

If i'm honest, though, I very much doubt we'll get a holding midfielder. Think we'll focus on getting an attacking minded midfielder to rotate with Pogba, but also someone who can play deeper.

As I said in other thread, someone like Lorenzo Pellegrini would be ideal as he could play in the 8 position, then as a 10 if/when Pogba is out.
 

jamesjimmybyrondean

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I don't think Ole would go for a new DM as he seemd comfortable with Matic Mctominay and Garner(who he calls the next Carrick).

With the link to Bruno Fernandes I think what Ole would be looking for is a player that can fill in for Pogba.

Yes we have Fred but Fred doesn't create chances or score goals like Pogba or Bruno does.

Bruno might not even be bought for squad rotation because as Ole said "This is Manchester United, nobody's position is safe"
 

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Saw enough on Wednesday to suggest Fred could play that role. Hassled and Harried PSG. Lots of energy and quick on the pass. If he shows real consistency in the level of performance he did the other night we have a ready made replacement. Just my opinion obviously :)
 

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Im not sure about fred being good enough and would prefer mctom as he is better at hasling opposing teams and defends well. But really think we need a world class player in midfield to replacematic. Matic was never the correct replacement and was 40 miĺlion somewhat wasted.
 

Adnan

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Im not sure about fred being good enough and would prefer mctom as he is better at hasling opposing teams and defends well. But really think we need a world class player in midfield to replacematic. Matic was never the correct replacement and was 40 miĺlion somewhat wasted.
We need a player that has good mobility and can pass to a good standard. We need someone like Fernandinho IMO.
 
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Always like him, yeah but haven't quite been following his progress over the last 2 years or so.
From what I remember he regressed under the last manager as he was being played out of position. This season Witsel and the other chap have been on good form so he struggled to regain his place, he's been stepping in at CB because they had some injuries.

I think this correct any BVB fans feel free to correct me x
 

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From what I remember he regressed under the last manager as he was being played out of position. This season Witsel and the other chap have been on good form so he struggled to regain his place, he's been stepping in at CB because they had some injuries.

I think this correct any BVB fans feel free to correct me x
That's sort of the last i have read about him on this forum as well. Which is when Tuchel was interested to sign him for PSG.
 

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I think we should go after someone young who is on the cusp of being world class. The lad at Stuttgart has been mentioned, and i'm sure there's more.
We do have a number of issues with the squad, and paying £100m for a player will limit the amount we can spend on other players. Allan is a great player, but PSG will go after him and he will cost too much for us to strengthen other areas that needs some attention.

Many talented players. Buying midfielders is always risky, since this position is maybe the one most affected by the system the player is in, and is the one that is most difficult to evaluate how a player will perform in a new environment(club, system, other players).

Young promising defensive midfielders:
Ibrahim Sangare (injured for some time now, and might be affected by this).
Rice
Berge
And many more.

Ascacibar is not really that good. Makes some great tackles and will always put in a good effort, but the same can be said about Lee Cattermole.