Manchester United will have to change their formation to accommodate Juan Mata

Possibility 3

Now the problem of playing both Rooney and van Persie up front is that Mata does not fit into any of the roles in a traditional 4-4-2 formation that United prefer. So, in order to incorporate their new signing, United will have to shift to a 4-2-2-2 formation with two attacking midfielders instead of two wide midfielders.

Antonio Valencia will obviously miss out, and the full backs will be crucial for providing width when in position, as both the attacking midfielders will have a tendency of drifting infield, narrowing the play. Wayne Rooney will have the option of dropping deeper to get involved in the play, and this seems to be United’s best bet going forward.