What is Manchester United’s best midfield?

For the first time in eternity, Manchester United have midfield options!

After the signings of Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger to add to the already solid Ander Herrera, Michael Carrick, Daley Blind and Marouane Fellaini, Manchester United suddenly now have one of the strongest midfields in the Premier League.

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Having gone so long with such a soft centre, United had looked to strengthen significantly in the last three summer transfer windows. David Moyes brought in Marouane Fellaini for £27 million but missed out on Cesc Fabregas, then of Barcelona. It meant United’s midfield still lacked depth and real quality during the Scot’s short reign at Old Trafford.

van Gaal came in and immediately saw the position as an issue. He brought Ander Herrera and Daley Blind to the club for just over £40 million combined to strengthen but still missed out on a top target, with the likes of Toni Kroos and Arturo Vidal heavily linked throughout the summer. It eventually left the Reds short through the season as Darren Fletcher was sold and Michael Carrick picked up injuries, meaning captain Wayne Rooney often filled in as a deep midfielder.

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Now, Manchester United should have no such problems. They have real depth throughout the centre of the park, for any formation that van Gaal could decide to field. In the holding midfield role Carrick, Blind and Schweinsteiger are all more than comfortable sitting in front of the defence and dictating the tempo of a game. Slightly further forward, Herrera and Schneiderlin are capable of going box-to-box while in the more advanced position Fellaini will be matched by Andreas Pereira. The majority of the midfield options are versatile too, something van Gaal loves, and can play in more than one of those specific midfield roles.

United finally have balance, something van Gaal has craved since signing a three-year deal at Old Trafford last summer. But what is his strongest midfield line-up.

Carrick and Schneiderlin have been the first choice defensive midfielders on tour in van Gaal’s 4231 formation. Credit: @manutd

During pre-season the Reds have gone with a 4-2-3-1, with Memphis in the No.10 role behind Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata and Ashley Young on the wings. They’ve been covered defensively by Carrick and Schneiderlin, a duo both excellent defensively and on the ball when in attack.

Herrera and Schweinsteiger have formed a duo of their own in the second half of games, which has had similar effect but slightly more attacking due to the nature of Herrera’s game.

Despite this formation, it’s expected by most that Manchester United will line-up in a 433 formation as they did in their vital winning run towards the end of last season. This means that someone will miss out on regular games, but who makes the most sense?

In the holding role, the two leading candidates are Bastian Schweinsteiger and Michael Carrick. Carrick is of course the vice-captain and a leader in the dressing room, someone that van Gaal described as the crucial element in his team last season. United suffered hugely whenever the 34 year old was unavailable last season and it was almost enough to see them miss out on the Champions League for a second consecutive year.

Schweinsteiger however, is a different kettle of fish. A World Cup winner, EIGHT time Bundesliga champion, Champions League winner, Basti is notoriously successful. He plays the Carrick role better than Carrick and despite the Englishman’s presence in a United dressing-room, Schweinsteiger is the type of player who demands respect from his colleagues. While Carrick was vital this season, he’s now 34. Schweinsteiger was classed as a ‘risky’ signing because he’ll be 31 by the time the season starts, he’s still 3 years the junior of Carrick and should be the first choice holding midfielder this season when fit.

In the box-to-box role, Herrera dominate last season for Manchester United. The Spaniard won the hearts of everyone at the club with his passion and desire for the shirt, proving his worth as the season wore on and he finally gained the trust of Louis van Gaal. However, he may lose that spot to Morgan Schneiderlin this season.

The French midfielder signed from Southampton and has been fantastic in pre-season so far, proving to be exactly what United missed for much of the last campaign. His legs, bite and positioning have been the perfect foil alongside Carrick and his energy and stamina have allowed him to get forward more and help the attack too. He’s started every game so far on tour and I’d expect him to be one of the first names on the team-sheet for the boss this season.

That leaves the most attacking role up for grabs. Fellaini performer admirably there last season but despite that, he should be a back-up plan. His physical attributes and aggressiveness are something none of our other midfielders offer and will be an asset in certain situations, but not regularly. While Pereira has impressed on tour and with the Under 21’s last season, he’s not yet ready to displace Ander Herrera from the starting line-up at Old Trafford.

Herrera in a more advanced role is something that could be interesting. Without having the obligation of tracking back and being in the last line before the defence, his ball-playing ability and creative juices will be allowed to flow more in the final third. His energy means he can help out with the dirty work too and he could also be the first line of the pressing game that the boss likes to implement.

Pereira will likely get games in the front three, whether on the wings or in the No.10 role that van Gaal will be privvy to introduce at some point in the season.

One thing is for sure, a midfield three of Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin and Herrera is the strongest United have had in this decade and with options like Carrick and Fellaini still able to come into the side the Reds will be deemed a failure if they don’t produce a real title challenge.

Next: Schneiderlin 'loving life' at Manchester United