United set out this summer to sign three central midfielders. They've signed two. Both are lovely passers. Neither are that physical.
But the third player, the physical space eater, still doesn't exist at the club. With two weeks of the window left, does Michael Carrick actually need him?
There's a real case that he doesn't. PSG won a Champions League with three technicians and no destroyers; Spain won a World Cup on control alone; and United already have five good footballers for three spots.
Adding a runner means dropping a 'baller.
But the case for buying a physical player is stronger. PSG's model only works with a press that suffocates the opposition. United's pressing does not work that well. That was the game against Milan last weekend in a nutshell. A technical team plus a functioning press is probably Carrick's long-term plan. A technical team plus a broken press is how you get picked apart on transition.
There's also the uncomfortable fact that United bought this exact profile in Manuel Ugarte two years ago and are now trying to sell him while shopping for the same thing again.
So what does the squad actually need? Probably not a positional six who doesn't run. The gap in the squad is lateral coverage when the press breaks down, which means a ground coverer and ball carrier.
Some of the names alongside the profiles are obvious; most are unlikely. And the name that keeps popping up? A market opportunity based on a good price.
United are two injuries from a genuine midfield crisis. Buy the legs, or fix the system. Ideally both.
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