Not sure Mourinho agrees. He'll sign a #6 this summer. I'd definitely be in favour of going after Nainggolan in addition to the #6, but it won't happen because this is all just the prelude to a contract renewal with Roma.
Radja Nainggolan
- Thread starter davidmichael
- Start date
what position does he play?
If he comes here, he's a DM.
No he won't. It will be Herrera or some new signing.
Lunar back
So I guess you watch the Italian League a lot? He played AMC for Roma this season, and doesn't need to track back. Last couple of seasons he played in a more defensive position and did a lot of tracking back, as he did for Belgium.
Concerning his tackling, you must be very critical
Hope $$$ do the thinking for you Radja, come to manchester!!
That's a laughably transparent instagram post. He is angling for a new contract with Roma and this is nothing more than that. He is going nowhere.
Schniderlin had a very similar post to this. Its all vague and stupidbut i am in denial over matic signing for us like i was with keane, it worked with keane so maybe it works with Matic too.
It would be a coup if we would sign him. He is perfect for us and at the peak of his game
To sign him up, I am not sure playing Herrera as DM will be best. Getting Fabinho or Matic as a DM will be a better idea so that Nainggolan can play either as an attacking midfielder or a B2B player. Herrera is not exactly your ideal DM.
Only thing is that if this idea is pursued, some others will certainly lose game time and might need to be sold. That would be two of Mata, Mikhi, Fellaini and Carrick.
Great player, shame we won't get him.
Thats the spirit
Herrera is the best DM we can get, he is better than Matic and fabinho isnt even a dm, he is more of a box to box himself. Actually he is more of a herrera than of a kante. There is no Pure dm available that would improve us and herrera has done a fantastic job. With Radja, he will share some of herrera's responsibility which he already did in previous two years at Roma.
A herrera-Radja- Pogba midfield would be perfectly balanced with carrick-fellaini-perreira the back ups. Mata mkhi can also play in Pogba's poition. Adding Radja would add a lot of quality and depth to our midfield.
Good point. I agree.
My preference will be to buy Fabinho or Matic as a DM, buy James as an attacking midfielder and buy a good winger (Dembele preferably because he is young and has a great future. Peresic as an alternative because Jose really wants him and he can offer some quick results). As a DM, I would never pick Nainggolan over Fabinho or Matic and I wouldn't want to 'waste' Herrera in front of the back four.
100% correct. Dafuq is he going to leave Rome? He looks pretty content there. Passionate fans, great city not even getting to the weather hah
He turned Chelsea down last year, right? England doesn't seem like his dream at all
Why would you want to 'lock' Herrera into a DM position my friend?
I think that would be a massive waste. Herrera has been our most complete midfielder without a doubt. In the midfield trio that worked best for United (Herrera, Pogba, Carrick) last season, Herrera did the runnings for Carrick and the defensive bit for Pogba. He basically held the three.He is certainly not as good as Fabinho as DM. Fabinho was one of the best DMs in Europe last season. But I could agree with the arguement against Matic. Unlike most people, I really don't think Matic is a great DM. I think he is more of a deep lying playmaker. I think he has played his best games doing that and also as a B2B.
If you ask me about Herrera, I'll say that he is best as a central midfielder and a B2B type of midfielder rather than a classical DM when you play with a back four. Nainggolan is best as an attacking midfielder or a B2B type. Both he and Herrera don't play their best as DMs.
I also noticed that you seem to be saying that Herrera has been playing DM for United. Yes, he played as a DM for United last season but not most of the time. Mostly, he played as a central midfielder or as a right sided midfielder. Carrick did the best job for us as a DM or holding midfielder last season.
So for me, I do think we need a DM and an attacking midfielder. Would I want Nainggolan as a DM? No. Would I want him as an AM? Yes but I would prefer someone close to being a natural number 10 instead. That's why I don't mind the idea of James Rodriguez since Rooney is already past it.
Nainggolan is the complete midfielder. He's talented, he's highly aggressive, he can score goals, he can tackle and he's a decent passer of the ball. Herrera-Nainggolan-Pogba would be a joy to watch. Nainggollan-Herrera will provide the perfect balance of talent and steel in midfield while allowing Pogba to be more adventarous upfront. He's the Belgian player we needed in midfield not the beanpole.
That should add an extra €20,000 to his contract.
Herrera had his best season with us as a defensive midfielder. We may well sign a DM but on last seasons evidence herrera is outstanding there.
not kidding. years ago, i email to ex man utd CEO on signing Nainggolan. 
Herrera is a DM. Having said that I can see Naingollan-Herrera making it work for us.
Doesn't seem to have the mentality to play at a club like United.
I don't think so my friend.
He had his best season with us as the midfield link between the defensive midfielder (Carrick) and the front line players. He also had a great season as a man marker in the middle of the pack (vs Eden Hazard at Old Trafford quickly comes to mind).
Herrera is actually weak as a defensive midfielder compared to what he is able to do when he is given license to roam forward. He is clearly a forward thinking midfielder who is relatively poor defensively even though he makes impressive contributions in terms of putting in defensive shifts (e.g tracking back, tackling and intercepting) in midfield.
Why would any manager want to put Herrera right in front of the back four and ask him to sit there as a DM? That would be a waste. I remember the games where he was chosen to replace Carrick last season. He never stood out in those games. Yes, he did enough but he was never exceptional. What we need is a Carrick type of replacement who can dovetail between being a defensive/holding midfielder and also a central midfielder (like Carrick does so well) who can dictate play. Herrera is a work horse with a football brain. He can be brilliant as the midfielder who runs around and links up the back and the front. He can offer defensive support to allow a Pogba to be creative and attack minded. He can pick up the ball from a DM and take it to the attackers. He cannot be the player you saddle with the responsibility of shielding the back four throughout the season.
Think about it. Look back at last season. What stands out for Herrera? That brilliant tracking of Hazard. That through pass to Rashford that killed Chelsea. That lunge forward against Chelsea to score his own goal. That incredible through ball to Mikhi against Tottenham that led to a goal. That lob to Zlatan that led to the decisive goal against Southampton in the EPL final. That pass to Zlatan against Sunderland that led to a goal. etc.
For Herrera, it is always when he is able to serve as the link between the backline/ defensive midfield and the attacking players. That's when his star shines brightest.
For anyone who doesn't rate Radja, read this. His analysis is spot on. Nainggolan is one of the most complete midfielders in the world. For his cracking shot alone he is worth getting.
I doubt Roma can compete on wages if United really want him. He can use us to get a better contract from Roma....but he would not get what he could make at United. It seems he'd still be picking the club over money if United were truly after him.
Never mind us improving our central midfield, as long as we don't needlessly pay over the odds for him.
Says who?!
Him alone would be a huge coup. Him and Fabinho would give us options and tactical variety to compete in all competitions. And give Pogba the role to thrive.
true. However Roma is a niche type of club. The culture there is different to many other clubs and some players either love it or hate it. If Nainggolan likes being a Roma player then rest assured he will remain there even if it means being paid less.
There again, Roma seem to be a sinking ship at the moment. Salah and Spaletti have already left, they have issues with Nainggolan contract and Manolas/Paredes seem to be at the door.
If he's staying at Roma, then he's a loyal bastard.
I can just imagine it now... Nainggolan and Pogba battling it out for the most extravagant hair-do in central midfield.
Says me. If he was winning things at the club, been brought up through the ranks or something similar, I could understand as to why he'd want to stay at Roma. But it seems to me he's in a comfort zone, where he hasn't the need to push himself.
To come to United you need the mentality to win and perform week in week out. If he's not up to it, he isn't the type of signing that we need.
Understood, makes sense.
I can't be typing out Nainggolan and Mkhitaryan every time for a lineup.
Can someone provide the stats from squawka for him?
Radja and Mkhi
I can live with that. You may proceed Jose.