Well, it’s been all change in Manchester United‘s midfield this summer.
Casemiro’s departure was announced a while ago and he has now formally left and headed to join Lionel Messi and Co at Inter Miami out in the States.
United needed a midfielder even before that but the Brazilian’s departure only heightened the need to do business quickly.
The Red Devils wanted Elliot Anderson. They wanted Mateus Fernandes. Sadly, they were ultimately priced out of moves for both of them.
As a result, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co have been shrewd in the market. Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans both have arrived on cut-price deals, deals that look like bargains in the context of the ongoing window.
Still, there could be room for a big-money addition before the window slams shut.
How Youri Tielemans performed on Man Utd debut
When Tielemans put pen to paper at Old Trafford a number of weeks ago, director of football Jason Wilcox said: “Youri has consistently been one of the most outstanding midfielders in the Premier League throughout the past seven years.”
Therefore, to get him for just £35m was incredible business. Aston Villa have lost a real leader, a real figurehead from their midfield, that’s for sure.
That is to United’s gain who in just 26 minutes of their 1-1 draw with PSG at the weekend showed they are getting quite the talent. Due to Belgium’s participation at the World Cup, the Belgian did not feature against Wrexham, Rosenborg or Atletico Madrid. However, he was in the squad for the first time on Saturday.
|
Tielemans vs PSG (Man Utd debut) |
|
|---|---|
|
Touches |
22 |
|
Accurate passes |
21/21 |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Shots |
0 |
|
Dribbles |
0 |
|
Carries |
9 |
|
Tackles |
1 |
|
Ball recoveries |
5 |
|
Duels won |
1/2 |
|
Fouls |
1 |
In truth, Tielemans’ debut was nothing special yet it demonstrated all of the class that he is set to bring to Michael Carrick’s side. Introduced as a late sub, the 29-year-old completed all 21 of his passes and made five recoveries.
The former Villa man is a proper shuttler but he simply oozes class. Tielemans is as safe as houses in possession and will offer plenty to United’s midfield.
While his overall cameo was nothing spectacular, there was one crisp pass into the path of skipper Bruno Fernandes that caught the eye. If that is a sign of things to come, then Carrick and Co will be delighted with this acquisition.
Still, there is a sense that they need more in the middle of the park. Kobbie Mainoo is still young and Andrey Santos is still very unproven in the Premier League.
How Man Utd could partner Tielemans in midfield
With Tielemans, Mainoo and Fernandes operating as a midfield three, it certainly looks eye-catching. They all possess brilliant composure in possession. It will be very difficult to get the ball from them.
However, in their pursuit of a Casemiro replacement, United still haven’t arguably signed a genuine defensive midfielder or deep-lying midfielder.
Sure, Tielemans and Santos can both operate in deeper areas of the midfield; Tielemans is a phenomenal deep-lying playmaker.
However, he doesn’t quite boast the same level of ball progression and press evasion as a certain Adam Wharton. In many senses, the two players are rather alike. Premier League proven, two of the finest in the division, they love to drop deeper into central areas to pick up the ball. They’re similarly dogged, similarly classy. The stats below showcase that exact fact.
|
Tielemans vs Wharton (25/26 league stats) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Tielemans |
Wharton |
|
Goals |
0 |
0.1 |
|
Assists |
0.2 |
0.2 |
|
Chances created |
1.6 |
1.6 |
|
Pass accuracy |
85% |
79% |
|
Tackles made |
2.9 |
2.5 |
|
Take-ons completed |
0.5 |
0.6 |
|
Aerial duels won |
1.1 |
0.9 |
|
Ground duels won |
5.2 |
4.1 |
|
Interceptions |
0.9 |
1.0 |
|
Ball recoveries |
4.6 |
5.8 |
|
Progressive passes |
3.96 |
4.99 |
United’s interest in the Crystal Palace man is no secret and according to Caught Offside, the Red Devils are still very much keen on signing the Englishman this summer.
A move has been explored but it’s thought it could take as much as £85m to extract him from Selhurst Park. That’s the same fee United found prohibitive when it came to their pursuit of Fernandes before he headed to Tottenham Hotspur.
Are their feelings around Wharton the same? Well, considering his similarities to both Tielemans and Mainoo, you would have to question whether he is worth that fee.
However, the fact is he is one of the finest young players in the Premier League. There is a reason he commands that fee. He was previously described as “the best deep-lying English midfielder since Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick” by one CONCACAF B certified coach which rather says it all.
Compared to Tielemans, he makes a similar number of interceptions and tackles, as well as winning a similar number of aerial duels and making an identical rate of key passes per 90 minutes.
In their bid to replace Casemiro, having the two of them would be pretty spectacular for Carrick.
