How Manchester United could line up in the 2018/19 Season

Midfield

Chelsea v Manchester United - The Emirates FA Cup Final — Paul Pogba should have a stellar season ahead

United are spoilt for choice in the middle, but a closer look will reveal that the competition for the first team is between 5 players. This is because Mourinho likes a 3 man midfield and on current form and tactics, the players who are most likely to be shuffled around are Pereira, Herrera, Pogba, Matic and Fred.

However, the 3 man who will most likely make up the Manchester United midfield will be Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Fred. Matic and Fred will most probably shoulder the lion's share of the defensive responsibilities, leaving Pogba free to join the attack and control the proceedings.

With the arrival of Fred, this season should be a breakthrough for the French World Cup winner. Last season, Pogba was strangled by Mourinho's defensive requirements, but with Fred likely to partner Matic as the deep-lying playmaker, Pogba should be looking ahead.

Also, Fred, as he showed in the preseason, can play at various positions in the middle, which should free even more space for Pogba to weave his magic.

In case of injuries, or if Mourinho wants to change things a bit, Pereira is more than capable to fill the deep-lying playmaker role and he and Fred did display the signs of a budding partnership during the preseason.

Ander Herrera is also another option, who can mix things up and perform a "job" as his manager demands. Additionally, McTominay and Fellaini also provide ample cover, abet not so much creatively. However, the Manchester United's strongest midfield this season should contain Fred, Matic and Pogba.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 20 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith