The arrivals of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin leave Manchester United with an abundance of central midfield options – but who will Louis Van Gaal select against Spurs in their Premier League opener?
With the help of WhoScored.com, we check the stats to assess the contenders for a starting spot…
As opposed to last season's deadline deals following Louis van Gaal's delayed arrival at Old Trafford, United have acted early under the Dutchman this summer. Four major signings have been made and one or two more could yet be on their way come the end of next month.
However one position in which United already appear well stocked is midfield. The arrivals of Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin have added real strength in numbers, but whittling down said numbers to a favoured line-up will be an intriguing task for Van Gaal.
The new midfield acquisitions join Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera, Daley Blind and Marouane Fellaini, who vied for three starting spots last season.
Last weekend, Van Gaal gave the clearest indicator yet of the potential midfield set up for the Premier League curtain raiser against Tottenham. Ahead of their friendly match with Barcelona the manager stated, "those who play 60 minutes (in that game) are more likely to play against Tottenham", with Schweinsteiger missing out due to what the Dutchman confirmed as a "little injury".
With that in mind, the German may be eased into Premier League action, particularly given his injury woes in recent years. While signing a player of Schweinsteiger's calibre may have seemed a no-brainer, there is some element of risk in bringing in a 30-year old that has started just 37 league matches over the past two seasons. Nevertheless, with a Bundesliga rating of 7.42 from WhoScored.com when he was fit last season, Schweinsteiger's ability has remained consistent, even if his playing time has not.
It seems, then, that the starting midfield pairing on August 8 will be Schneiderlin and Carrick, with fellow new recruit Memphis Depay starting in a central role in support of Wayne Rooney, and Juan Mata and Ashley Young fielded on the flanks. Many, however, feel that Carrick's role is most likely to come under threat, and on paper that would seem to be the case.
The midfielder, now 34, picked up a modest WhoScored rating of 7.06 over 18 league appearances last season, and he too has grown increasingly injury prone with age. However, though Carrick has never truly stood out for his performances, at times criticised for a lack of ambition on the ball in the past, his calming influence on the side was abundantly clear last season. United lost just one of the 16 league games Carrick started compared to seven of the 22 he didn't. With that sort of impact on results, you would have to argue that, if fit, Carrick should be given a chance to continue such a record.
Schneiderlin is a different type of player and while most would consider the Frenchman a defensive midfielder, he's of an alternative mould to Carrick. The former Saints man is a ball-winner and can perhaps provide the boundless energy levels that his more senior team-mates cannot. Ranking third in the league when it came to tackles and interceptions per game combined last season (6.2), if deployed alongside the veteran Englishman Schneiderlin will surely be tasked with pressing the higher of the two up the pitch.
The question remains as to whether all three can start in the same side, and in reality there's no reason why they couldn't. Schweinsteiger is arguably best deployed as a box-to-box midfielder, having a direct hand in nine league goals from just 20 appearances last season, while Carrick sits deep and Schneiderlin, as stated, can harry opponents further up the pitch. It's a triumvirate that could well be deployed in the games where Van Gaal feels a more defensive approach is needed, but more often than not, that won't be the case.
The concern in fielding all three would be a lack of runners from deep into advanced areas, despite Schweinsteiger's ability in the final third. That, then, is where Ander Herrera may become the most suitable option.
The Spaniard fell in and out of favour with Van Gaal last season but enjoyed an impressive debut campaign when given the chance, scoring six goals and registering four assists despite starting just 19 times. His rating of 7.33 from WhoScored.com was enough to rank third for United but when excluding substitute appearances his score (rising to 7.61) was the best in the squad. He adds something a little different to the side without relinquishing his defensive responsibilities and should again prove to be a valuable asset.
With Blind perhaps set to be given a role in defence this season, be that at centre-back or left-back, and Fellaini more likely to be deployed in an advanced role, it may be more like three from four than six if the manager uses similar tactics to last season.
With Schweinsteiger and Carrick's injury problems in mind and the fact that United will return to the Champions League - as well as hoping to progress much further in the domestic cups - Van Gaal appears to have a strong balance to his midfield rather than an overabundance of talent.
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com.
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