Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has options with his selection of Manchester United teams when the Premier League season resumes a week today, but a decision he makes could be crucial for the long-term development of this team.
Whether Solskjaer goes with a back four or a back three and three in midfield or with a diamond, there is likely to be a midfielder in charge of providing the line forward.
So far the Norwegian has resisted choosing a more offensive midfield with two advanced directors and only one sitting deep, so it seems certain that he will continue.
With Solskjaer he will probably keep his midfield three, which means that Paul Pogba or Bruno Fernandes will play the most offensive role, while the other goes deeper.
Pogba spent much of this season traumatized by an injury in a deeper role, while Fernandes played the first 45 minutes of his career at United at the base of the midfield, before being moved further on from where it was a revelation.
Both players staged their best performances in more advanced roles, which makes the decision difficult. Fernandes’ creativity has been a vital part of United’s 11 game unbeaten game since the end of January.
The £ 47m Portuguese midfielder added a threat from midfield and he too became a creator. In the absence of the midfield of Pogba United, that type of threat was missing until Fernandes signed from Sporting Lisbon.
Pogba had started this season in a deeper role before the injury arrived, but his best shows under Solskjaer were in the midfield tip. He was sensational in that role for the first three months of manager United’s term, providing 15 goals or assists in the first 14 games under Solskjaer in 2018/19.
The World Cup winner has proven for France that he can play a deeper role, particularly with a more natural defensive midfielder at his side, who will have at United. But for the club it has not yet produced that kind of dominant performance in that position, instead thriving in an area where it can threaten the opposition.
When Pogba and Fernandes took sides in the rehearsal game at Old Trafford six days ago, it was the Frenchman who started role no. 10, with Fernandes slightly deeper.
This may have been just one way to bring it back into the game’s clarity and we shouldn’t necessarily read too much about it, but it was still an interesting aspect of the 4-4 draw between two United teams.
However, preparing his two-star midfielders, Solskjaer has no doubts that they can play and be successful together.
“Good players can always play together, so surely, yes, it’s a big yes,” he said in May.
“I think it’s exciting, we have an exciting team. I have Scott [McTominay], Fred, Nemanja [Matic].
“There are a lot of games coming up and I’m sure we can find a good connection between them.”
Finding a connection between them, whoever gets the role of chief director, could be transformative for United, who was on a shot before the season was suspended and will try to rediscover this momentum as quickly as possible.
The way Solskjaer deploys his team will also give us a clue as to who he relies on to take the lead when it comes to creating in midfield. The chances of Pogba leaving Old Trafford this summer must be slim, so it’s likely that the two will continue to combine next season.
Ideally both will contribute in terms of goals and assists, but if Solskjaer persists with his 4-2-3-1 formation, only one can play that advanced role. The companion will be one of the fascinating elements of United’s return to action.
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