Manchester United have been heavily linked with a defensive midfielder this summer and Ian Wright believes Yves Bissouma is the perfect candidate to fill the void.
United laboured to an unimpressive 1-1 draw away to Southampton in their second Premier League fixture of the season, where Nemanja Matic struggled to stamp his authority. Matic gave the ball away several times and was undone by the intense running of James Ward-Prowse, Che Adams and Adam Armstrong, who did not allow the Serbian to settle into the fixture.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer' s problems in the heart of the midfield have been intensified with the recent news that Scott McTominay has undergone minor surgery to repair a problem he had been suffering with over the summer. With Andreas Pereira out the door on loan also, the United boss' options look very thin.
Nonetheless, former Arsenal striker Ian Wright believes United have a ready-made replacement for the ageing Matic in Bissouma, whose contract runs out at Brighton and Hove Albion in 2023.
Bissouma is an all-action midfielder who can fulfil roles as an anchor or a more advanced midfielder player who can support attacks.
As such, Wright believes Bissouma could form a solid relationship with Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba to sort out United's midfield woes.
"For me, he's the kind of responsible player where, if he were playing for Liverpool or Man United, he would say 'yeah, all right, I'll play the six," Wright told guests Mayowa Quadri and Ryan Hunn on his podcast 'Wrighty's House'.
"'If you want me to be the six and break it up and give it to Paul [Pogba] or Bruno [Fernandes], yeah I can do that, no problem.'"
Bissouma was an essential cog in Graham Potter's side as they secured their record points tally in the Premier League last term and was man-of-the-match as Brighton defeated Watford last Saturday.
The 24-year-old was all over the pitch, helping himself to a pass success rate of 85 per cent, seven defensive duels, five interceptions and eight recoveries as the Seagulls brushed past the Hornets in a 2-0 win.
