Manchester United have already had a decent transfer window bringing in England international, Jadon Sancho as well as World Cup winner, Rafael Varane. With hints of a back-up right back, new midfielder and potentially another centre back coming into the squad, there are plenty of options. With reasonable strength in depth and a number of players who can play multiple positions, there are three potential ways that Manchester United could line up next season.
4-2-3-1
This is the formation that Manchester United players and fans are most used to under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Above is the average starting 11 that played last season. Yes, there were some changes to the team. Dean Henderson made 12 starts in the league last season, swapping in for David De Gea. Lindelof occasionally alternated for Eric Bailly but very rarely. Paul Pogba made 21 starts, swapping for either Fred or McTominay but he also often played off the left hand side, a position that he played in 15 times across all competitions. Anthony Martial came in for Greenwood often, pushing Rashford over to the right and taking up the left hand side position. Fred and McTominay were deployed as defensive midfielders to screen the back four, essentially making a back six, protecting the two centre-backs at the detriment of the attack. Players that didn’t get much of a look in last season include Alex Telles, Donny Van de Beek, Axel Tuanzebe and Brandon Williams.
This season, we could see The Red Devils line up in a similar formation. That being said, there will certainly be a few changes. With the acquisition of Sancho and Varane, they will both slot straight into the starting 11. Don’t be surprised to see the same team as above but with Varane in place of Lindelof and Sancho in place of Greenwood.
Pogba should also be playing in the pivot with either Fred or McTominay. With Varane a more solid defensive option, it should give Pogba license to push forward more often, with his midfield partner sitting back and defending. We saw just what a world class player Pogba can be during his Euro’s campaign with France when he has a defensive midfielder next to him (in this case, Kante). In what could be his last year at the club, Solskjaer needs to utilise the Frenchman to the best of his ability.
The attacking options are a particular area of strength. With Edinson Cavani deciding to stay for another year, he has a solid grasp on the number nine role, especially after his showing of 10 goals last season. Greenwood is an option to replace Cavani if he needs rotating out, as is the out of form Anthony Martial.
News broke recently that Marcus Rashford will miss the beginning of the season, possibly until October as a result of shoulder surgery. That would suggest that Martial may play off the left during the beginning of the season. Manchester United do have options, however. Sancho is more than capable of playing off the left hand side, as is the returning Jesse Lingard. Amad Diallo is away performing at the Olympics, but can also play off the left. The likelihood, unfortunately, is that Pogba may take up a more permanent position off the left hand side, eradicating his creative flare from a middle position. The logical move would be to have Sancho play off the left hand side, with Greenwood maintaining his place on the right. Sancho played off the left 15 times for Borussia Dortmund last season with 17 goal contributions.
4-3-3
There were rumours that the staff at Manchester United will change to a 4-3-3 formation this season in order to play more attacking, expansive football. This would certainly entertain fans more than last season, as Manchester United often won games by narrow margins, or were forced to come from behind to get a victory. If they play on the front foot, with the attacking talent that they have, they could cause teams real problems.
The 4-3-3 complements the players that Manchester United have, allowing the team to play to the best of their ability in their best suited positions.
The above 4-3-3 allows for all of Manchester United’s key players to play in position that suit their games. The formation does assume that the deal and Varane will be signed, sealed and delivered, but the understanding is that this will be the case. It also doesn’t include Marcus Rashford due to his his surgery. The standard back five, with De Gea, Wan Bissaka, Varane, Maguire and Shaw will be the likely line up.
Pogba would play in the deep lying playmaker position, suiting his long passing game. His passing creativity would release the wide players, allowing for more beneficial attacking scenarios. Although he isn’t very defensive minded, with Varane and Maguire it is less of an issue. Fernandes will play more advanced than Pogba, playing into his natural game as more of a number 10. We’ve seen his talent playing as a number 10, scoring 40 total goals and assisting 25 times in 80 United appearances. We’ve seen Van de Beek underused last season but he would fit into this system extremely well. He played 90 times for Ajax in a central midfield position, often drifting wide in attacking scenarios. His quick passing would complement Pogba’s game and he would link with Fernandes well. His ability to push on and get in the box was evident against Crystal Palace, scoring on his debut. His man of the match award against Wolves in the final game of last season showed just how good he can be.
Sancho and Greenwood would be able to provide width in this system, stretching defenders and allowing Cavani to occupy the space exploited by the wide men. This would also give Fernandes the opportunity to arrive late in the box, causing havoc for defenders.
3-5-2
The 3-5-2 formation was brought into Old Trafford when Louis Van Gaal took charge. His formation centered around Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia having the fitness to get back as well as attack when necessary. It has very much been outlawed at United since, however, it came back slightly under Ole. Often against the bigger teams, Luke Shaw filled in as the extra centre-back, with the attacking Alex Telles filling in at left wing-back.
It has been rumoured that Aaron Wan-Bissaka will make a move over to centre back, assumingly on the right hand side. This doesn’t work. He isn’t great in the air and is extremely efficient when slide tackling, which aren’t typical attributes of a dominating centre half. If United are to play three at the back, Lindelof or Bailly should fill in instead. It would give Wan-Bissaka an opportunity to increase his attacking game, which he has historically struggled with. With that being said, with Manchester United looking at bringing in Kieran Trippier into the squad, he could see himself solidify the right wing back position. This would mean dropping Wan-Bissaka, who has been consistently extremely good during his time at Old Trafford.
Again, the above formation assumes the signing of Rafael Varane goes through and he becomes a Manchester United player. It also assumes that Ole sticks to his word and tries Wan-Bissaka at right centre-back. It further suggests that Trippier signs for Manchester United, which as of yet, there hasn’t been any great noise about. There are options with the back three and the goalkeeper. The likelihood is that Wan-Bissaka could play right wing back, with Lindleof coming into centre half. Playing Dean Henderson would allow United to play further up the pitch as he is much more effective sweeping. Maguire should stay on the left hand side of defence, despite his good aerial ability, his relationship with Shaw should take precedent.
The main problem with this formation is that it doesn’t utilise some of Manchester United’s best players. It leaves out Rashford, Martial and Sancho. There’s also potentially no place for Van de Beek if Ole prefers a more defensive minded Fred or McTominay in the middle of the midfield three. Fernandes also could play further forward, to make a 3-4-1-2 formation, but on the break, that leaves United a little more open at the back. Luke Shaw also isn’t utilized to the best of his ability if he’s the one to fill in at centre back instead of the alternative options.
All of these negatives suggest that if this Manchester United team are going to play ‘the United way’, expansive, attacking and entertaining football, the 3-5-2 isn’t the formation to go with. It will help United overload the midfield, however, it leads to leaving out key players and potentially playing people out of their preferred, best positions.
Potential Back-up/Cup Starting 11 4-2-3-1
Luckily for Manchester United, they have strength in depth. They posses a lot of fringe players who could easily break into the first team in years to come. Amad Diallo and Anthony Elanga are two names who made their debuts last season, both recording goals. James Garner had two successful loans at Watford and Nottingham Forest and is looking like the answer to a lot of Manchester United’s midfield woes. He’s not ready yet, but having made 40 total Championship appearances, he gained valuable experience. He needs another loan move in order to further develop his game, but is looking like a brilliant prospect.
The goalkeeper situation still isn’t sorted, with Tom Heaton and Lee Grant having shared the role in the previous pre-season games, but with David de Gea and Dean Henderson competing for the #1 spot, it could cause issues going forwards.
There are plenty of youth players that should be loaned out to further their development, with the likes of Hannibal Mejbri, Shola Shoretire, Anthony Elanga, Brandon Williams, James Garner and Teden Mengi all being options to loan out.
There are plenty of ways in which Manchester United could line up next season and with the signings of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, things are certainly looking up in the red half of Manchester.
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