What a difference a year makes! This seasons first match will see a combination of Matic, Pogba, Bruno, VdB, Fred and McT. The last two were our best players in some games, and it is indicative of the quality we have available now that they might struggle to get starts. That’s not to mention Galbraith, Garner, Mejbri and Levitt who all could flourish in coming seasons into real players. We haven’t had this good a roster for midfield for ages now.
Can someone please help me take these rose tinted glasses off or is this real?
While I understand the desire for optimism and all, I do think that needs a reality check.
Pogba's situation is not really stabile yet long term. He has yet to sign a new contract, and seemed half way out the door before COVID changed the game. Matic had some good games at the end of the season, but I would have personally taken him out behind the shed and pulled the trigger before that. He will be able to play a number of games, especially ones in which we don't need a great deal of mobility and pressing in the center of the pitch, but he is not a real solution to that position. McTominay is United through and through, but I still very much doubt him as a starter for us in top level games. Hopefully he can keep developing, but there is still uncertainty there in my opinion. Fred is...complicated I think? He was terrible, flat out awful for a long period, but then really rebounded. Then when he was benched again following Pogbas reintroduction, he seemed a bit like his old self to me unfortunately. Again, lot of uncertainty there I think.
And I would definitely be cautious about heaping expectations on the academy players. Garner was brough out like the next big thing for a while, and then virtually disappeared again with Ole saying that he had had some setbacks or something like that. It seems there is talent there, and personally I really liked Levitts style in that one Europa League game he played, but it's much, much too soon to draw any firm conclusions for me about the youth players and their role in the first team.
In fact if I could choose one area to strengthen significantly this summer I would probably choose CM. I mean Sancho could be a generational talent, and RW has looked weak for us as long as I can remember, but I would give close to anything for something like what Kante used to be. It would offer so much in terms of reliably progressing our passing, pressing, defending a higher line when we put the pressure on etc. There are many other ways to set up for sure, but we could really use that kind of presence in midfield I think.
