Is putting McT at centre-back a good idea?

Maybe. It's hard to know but I think his ceiling as a CB might be higher than as a CM.
 
Only in injury crises. He’s a jack of all trades, master of none atm, which I don’t mind at all because he’s contributing hugely when he plays and imo our best sitting midfielder atm (debatable with Fred). He plays at CB for Scotland though, so he’ll slot in just fine.
 
He’s starting to really show promise as a box to box midfielder with ball winning abilities that’s also added goals to his game so absolutely not in regards to retraining him as a centre back.

We’ve spent years playing players out of position or trying to force them into roles they’re not accustomed too instead of buying/playing players in their best position to fit a certain system or tactical approach.
 
We've got a young midfielder who can dribble well, knows how to time an edge of the box run and how to shoot.

Back to centre back with you, lad.
 
Strelok said:
I don't know why the caf always find retraining players to new positions is funny. Especially if said player is average in his current position but shows signs that he could be great somewhere else. Lucky for those players below their coaches didn't have that same mindset.

https://www.planetfootball.com/quic...ed-after-changing-positions-henry-bale-pirlo/

I really like McT and very happy with his recent developments. Just think he'd achieve more as a CB than a midfielder.
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It works for some players. But not for others. Alan Smith wasn't a good CM for us. Some thought Rooney could play CM for us and he couldn't.

It's funny because he's developed really well as a CM for us and been one of our more consistent performers in CM and now you want to change his position.

Surely it just makes sense to buy a CB.
 
Big no. If anything he needs to be given freedom to get further forward.
 
Retrain no.

Remember he started in the club as a CF. He has found a good position and has been coached into a centre mid. Notable good players have dropped from Centre Forward to Centre Mid and Centre Mid to Centre Back. Let him develop into this role for me. He offers some dynamism above Fred, Matic in my opinion.
 
I think keep him as an option at RCB in a 3 man defence but I still like him as a box to box CM. He’s really good at making powerful runs into the box and striking the ball, and this is how we should try to utilise him. Of course we need him to tidy up his game on the ball and start to read the game a fraction quicker.
 
No. You move him forward not back.

His lack of awareness of what’s around him is his biggest area for development by a significant margin.

I think lots of people have him all wrong.
 
I don’t really see why. He can do a job for us in his current role and we can buy a centre back to address that issue.

would be up for retraining DDG as a kitman or ball boy though
 
He has been playing really well in midfield and even improving his ability to score goals so sure let's throw this out of the window and play him as a CB instead, it makes sense, right ?
 
If we were a third tier team struggling for funds I’d “entertain” such “conversion therapy”.

As we are United and supposedly a “rich” club may I ask why BUYING or promoting a suitable player from the juniors is not acceptable?

It’s akin to repurposing a fork into a knife with an angle grinder....
 
Not a chance. Has the attributes to be a stop gap as a last last resort and is superb in the air so useful in a backs to the wall situation there. He should playing further forward, absolutely excellent at arriving late and shooting
 
dcrompton said:
Don’t Scotland play him as a centre-back? I don’t think we should but does suggest the OP is not as daft a suggestion as the reaction
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He's listed there, but he plays more of a ball-winning role akin to a midfield destroyer. He rarely spends time in the back line and often presses up to win the ball quickly from the opposing receiver. On the ball, he tends to not push up and mainly hold his position, which is quite different to how he plays for us.
 
I'd like to see him further forward more often - he needs to do more of the box-to-box work we've seen from him this season, not less, IMO. We really need someone who can carry the ball from midfield when Pogba is out (or gone).
 
Midfield will always be his best position, but it might be quite useful for him to step into a back-three occasionally or cover during an injury crisis

But other than that no, I wouldn't commit to retraining him completely. Much better to let him stick to his natural role and buy a natural CB instead.
 
We should play him up front more like.

Imagine him physically bulldozing the centre backs, rampaging forward with the ball, thumping in shots and knocking aerial balls to Rashford/Greenwood :drool:

Scott McTrahimovic.
 
It's really hard to tell without watching him play there more but his physical attributes suggest he could be a quality centre back. He's improved a lot in midfield but I really don't see him ever being top class in that position.

r3idy said:
Retrain no.

Remember he started in the club as a CF. He has found a good position and has been coached into a centre mid. Notable good players have dropped from Centre Forward to Centre Mid and Centre Mid to Centre Back. Let him develop into this role for me. He offers some dynamism above Fred, Matic in my opinion.
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This is quoted a lot and unless he played there as a really young kid it's just not true. He played one season as a striker in the u23s when they had absolutely no strikers in the age group. He was a midfield player playing out of position and was pretty hopeless there.

He's not a good attacking player and struggles in tight areas because he doesn't have the required quality touch to play in congested areas. He needs time on the ball and would get more of that the deeper he plays.

His energy in midfield is really important to this team right now due to those around him but I don't think he'll ever be an undroppable player in midfield. Could he be at centre back? Maybe he could. He certainly has the right physical attributes to complement Maguire.
 
Strelok said:
He's really tall, fast, pretty quick, very strong, brave, agressive, good in the air, good tackle. If you've played any football you'd know it's much easier to play as a CB than as a CM/DM. Any CM/DM with good physical attributes could be a very good CB, like Fernandino or Fabinho. McT is not top top on the ball but definitely much better than many CBs.

All he needs would be some experience there. He has played as CB for Scotland I think. And imo it'd be very difficult for McT to become what we need in the midfield. If he could be what we need in the back it'd save us a lot of money and would be great for his career as well.

What do you think?
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fast? ok. I'm probably quicker.

He will end up a league 1/championship CF towards the end of his career
 
He has finally stepped up and looks like a long term starter, so let's change his position and make him learn to play CB at the top level?
 
I want to see him play at CF - the header he scored against Everton was outrageous. Plus he finishes very well with his right foot.

He is basically Harry Kane without the injuries.
 
Bad Idea.

How many goals do you think McT can score inside and outside the box - 10ish? a season?
 
I think with Scotland he has shown that he can do it in a 3 but we don't use that formation very often and I think he would be exposed in a 2 where his positioning and awareness would have to be spot on the whole time with a bit less support. I think he could fill in for a couple games like Carrick used to but I wouldn't want him there for a long time especially in a 2. I also think he is a starting CM for us currently so moving him to CB would make us weaker at both positions.
 
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