Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has appeared to suggest he is not planning to let any of his central midfielders leave this summer despite the arrival of Donny van de Beek.
The £40m signing of the Dutch attacking midfielder from Ajax was confirmed on Wednesday, with Van de Beek putting pen to paper on a five-year contract with the option of an extra 12 months.
United already have the likes of Paul Pogba, Fred, Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay on their books in the central midfield position, and there was some speculation that at least one of them could move on as a result of the Van de Beek signing.
Fred in particular has been linked with a move away, with the likes of Turkish side Galatasaray said to be interested in the Brazilian.
But judging by Solskjaer's comments after the announcement of Van de Beek, he is expecting them all to compete for a place in the starting 11, and is not prepared to allow any of them to leave.
“Donny has all of the technical attributes needed to perform in this team and has the personality required to succeed at Manchester United," Solskjaer said.
"His ability to see space, time his movements and read the game will really complement the qualities that we have in midfield and his arrival really strengthens the depth of talent we have in that position.
"Donny's performances in the Eredivisie and in Europe have been excellent over the last few years and we are all looking forward to working with him."
With the games coming thick and fast next season, it is likely that Van de Beek and Pogba will be the preferred two to play in the centre, with Bruno Fernandes just ahead of them.
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The likes of Fred, Matic and McTominay will therefore fill in when one of the aforementioned two are in need of a rest of injured, and it is a position where United are certainly looking strong ahead of the new campaign.
United will now look to strengthen in other areas of the squad, with Solskjaer said to be keen on adding a new centre-back, winger and striker.
