“Luke Shaw is a pressing item because when he did play for United and he was fit, he was obviously one of the best players. So, I can understand the discussions surrounding him, but I would ask, “when can we expect him back, and when we do get him back, what are the chances of him being a sustainable performer,” former Manchester United coach René Meulensteen tells Tribalfootball in an exclusive discussion about the current state of affairs at Old Trafford.
“If it's three months he's out, then you have to react to it. They brought in (Noussair) Mazraoui, who can only play on the right, so Dalot has gone to the left but he's obviously a right-footed player. We don't have the medical insight to really make a fair judgment regarding Luke Shaw or Malacia but it is absolutely concerning that both have been out for quite a while now.”
While management at Manchester United has so far chosen to leave the left side alone, apparently, they are close to bringing in midfielder Manuel Ugarte from PSG. A good idea, Meulensteen believes.
“It is an area of the pitch that needs to be addressed by United. The spaces they left in the middle of the park was one of the biggest problems last year, and you're not going to solve it if you're playing Casemiro. You need legs, you need energy. Casemiro can still find a great pass and pop up in the box. He always gets to the end of crosses, even though he's not the tallest, but his positioning and timing is very, very good.
“The downside is that he hasn't got the range. He hasn't got the legs to cover that big distance. Neither him nor Kobbie Mainoo have the discipline to sort of just sit there, and they’d want somebody like Ugarte screening the front and the back four. He's a little bit more tenacious and has good legs.”
While seeing the need for a stronger defensive midfielder, Meulensteen believes United actually already have a player in the squad who could fill out that role.
“It surprises me a little bit that (Erik) Ten Hag has not tried Lisandro Martinez in there. Maybe because of injuries in the back line, and obviously he’s been injured himself, but he could be a player for that position. He's very good and calm on the ball. He's a very good defender. He's very tenacious. He could easily screen in front of the back line. He could even drop into the back line when needed to.”
Nevertheless, Meulensteen sees Ugarte as a player who can improve United in that particular position.
“He brings that discipline and the energy needed to cover those areas of the pitch. Just win the ball back and distribute it, you know? He’s defensively strong and that’s all they need. But it is always a matter of how quickly those players settle. There are so many players that have come to the Premier League and for some reason it has never come off.”
One new player who made an instant difference was Joshua Zirkzee who came off the bench to score the winner against Fulham. He’s a player Meulensteen has a lot of time for, expecting the emergence of Zirkzee to limit the game time for Rasmus Højlund.
“They can form a partnership, but it will never happen because the way Ten Hag plays, there's never a place for a second striker. I think Zirkzee has more to his overall game than Højlund because I think he is also good at linking up the play. He's very good with his feet and playing with his back to his goal. But equally, he a strong boy, a big boy, so he's got a good presence.
“It will be interesting to see what Erik ten Hag does going forward, because I don't think Mason Mount is really a number 9. You're always going to end up with a makeshift 9, whether you put Bruno Fernandes, Mount or (Marcus) Rashford there. But Zirkzee is a number 9 and I think it would suit United a bit better to start him there.”
René Meulensteen was talking to Tribalfootball on behalf of Free Bets