Manchester United playmaker Bruno Fernandes has already revealed the type of signings he would like Erik ten Hag to make over the summer.
United are expected to spend big under the helm of the Dutchman when the transfer window opens soon. The club desperately need a reshape if it is to regain its status as a title contender, and Ten Hag has a few years to achieve that.
With Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba and Juan Mata all departing this summer when their contracts expire and Nemanja Matic also expected to leave, the Red Devils are about to lose their depth in midfield. But Ten Hag is committed to not allowing that to be the case come the start of next season and is keen to bolster his options this summer with a signing or two in that department – amongst others.
And Fernandes has already revealed what sort of midfielders he would like to play with in the centre of the park - one battler, like Roy Keane, and a passer, like Paul Scholes. He was asked by the club site whether he would rather play alongside Scholes or Keane in the United midfield back in 2020, to which the Portugal international replied: “This is a difficult one, eh? I think the most difficult until now. So, I don't know. If I can have both, better. I need the guy behind me kicking everyone and recovering balls, like Roy Keane does, and have the quality to give the balls to the guys upfront.
“If you look at Roy Keane, he's the kind of player all teams need. Teams play in different ways, but all the teams can have him. Doesn't matter if you play in possession, in counter, you need a guy like this normally.
"I think Roy Keane is an excellent player and he can give me a lot of cover in the back. To play side to side with Scholes would be fantastic. If I can play with both, I play with Roy Keane in the back behind me and Scholes.
"Because me and Scholes can both go in the area scoring. We want to score, we want to be in the area, no? And maybe we will need Roy Keane at our backs.”
Although a hypothetical question, Fernandes’ response speaks volumes about the type of players he believes that he needs so that he can thrive at the Theatre of Dreams. Over the past few seasons, Fred and Scott McTominay have been relied upon to be the Keane-like players, but both have struggled to dictate games and their distribution is certainly not up to the level of Scholes’.
Fernandes’ reply also seemed to suggest that he would like to be relieved of his defensive duties at United, which have grown under Ralf Rangnick of late. Therefore, the former Sporting star will be pleased to see that the club is being linked with the likes of West Ham ’s Declan Rice and Aurelien Tchouameni of Monaco, two players who largely focus on protecting their defence rather than being a threat in the final third.
