There have been more rebuilds of the Manchester United midfield than the squad in the last nine years.
Despite the Champions League final disasterclasses against Barcelona and lightweight surrenders at Anfield, in Sir Alex Ferguson's last six years as a manager he did not sign a single central midfielder. From the summer transfer window of 2013 to 2018, United bought a central midfielder in each one.
The wait ended with the £27.5million Marouane Fellaini, David Moyes's first signing on deadline night in 2013. It was a deal so farcical United paid £4.5m more as Fellaini's £23m release clause had expired a month earlier.
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United's Supermarket Sweep dash that Monday was so desperate a fan said they went to bed with United signing Fabio Coentrao and Fellaini staying at Everton. They awoke to read Coentrao had stayed and Fellaini had signed.
There were vain attempts to prise Daniele de Rossi from Roma and Sami Khedira from Real Madrid after Moyes had passed on Thiago Alcantara. It was the summer Cesc Fabregas led United down the garden path.
A year later, Louis van Gaal assembled a potential midfield triumvirate of Ander Herrera, Angel di Maria and Daley Blind at a combined cost of £102.5m. Your eyes may be watering. The trio started six times together in midfield.
Only Herrera was present in the middle third for United's sprightly spring run of six successive Premier League wins in a 4-3-3 formation, with Fellaini a unique asset and Michael Carrick anchoring expertly.
Van Gaal was still unsatisfied and United recruited Morgan Schneiderlin for £25m from Southampton in the summer and Bastian Schweinsteiger at an economical £6.8m. Inexplicably, Van Gaal reverted to 4-2-3-1, the beginning of his end.
Executives at United retrospectively namechecked Schneiderlin and Blind as "un-United signings" in a damning appraisal of Van Gaal's recruitment hit-rate. Time-served United players did not rate Schneiderlin and seethed at Schweinsteiger conducting his rehabilitation from a knee injury overseas whilst following his wife, Ana Ivanovic, on the WTA tour. Jose Mourinho ordered the German to train with the academy squad.
Mourinho added Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Fred (£181m combined) to the midfield department across three summers. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer jettisoned Fellaini when he was still the caretaker and United's aloof treatment of Herrera, as well as Paris Saint-Germain's salary offer, convinced him to cross the Channel.
United did not sign a replacement for either and Solskjaer entrusted Scott McTominay and Andreas Pereira three years ago. Only the former stepped up. Pereira was advised by his father to resist attempts to convert him into a holding midfielder, so desperate was he to establish himself in the United side.
United have not bought an out-and-out central midfielder since Fred four years ago. Donny van de Beek can operate from deep but was recognised as a playmaker from Ajax's run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019. Including Van de Beek, Erik ten Hag has inherited three senior central midfielders.
Matic is leaving and so is Pogba. Only last week, the United YouTube channel published a video of Pogba with an influencer granted more access to Carrington than supporters and journalists. Pogba remains United's record recruit yet had more of an impact on social media impressions than the trophy tally.
United have explored a deal for Leeds United talisman Kalvin Phillips and Ten Hag reached out to his compatriot Frenkie de Jong. Manchester City's interest in Phillips and United's lowly stock make either deal onerous.
De Jong only has to look at recent history or WhatsApp Van de Beek (the pair now share the same agent) to know United is where careers can go to die. Spending peak years at a club that yo-yos from Champions League to Europa League would be a risk for a 25-year-old who has started regularly for Xavi at Barcelona.
United need two midfielders to offset two players who have paid their final month's rent in Cheshire. James Garner is expected to go on the pre-season tour though it is still uncertain whether he will remain in the United squad on their return from Australia. Garner is expected to play in the Premier League next season; it is merely a matter of where.
Fred was one of a handful of United players to emerge with any credit from the season and became more adventurous under Ralf Rangnick. McTominay has endeared himself to Mourinho, Solskjaer and Rangnick, although he has operated above his brief and some teammates feel McTominay's obedience towards managers has elevated his status.
Van de Beek is familiar to Ten Hag but his performances in the Eredivisie two years ago are not as relevant as his two years with United, whom he has not started a meaningful Premier League match for since December 2020. He has had such little exposure the Old Trafford spin doctors could parade Van de Beek as a "new signing".
