Erik ten Hag has already hinted at a possible solution to Manchester United's midfield problems

With just over a week of the summer transfer window to go, Manchester United face a race against time to strengthen their midfield options.

United, who will be looking to get back to winning ways when they welcome Nottingham Forest to Old Trafford on Saturday, are in desperate need of adding a defensive-minded operator to provide both support and competition for Casemiro. The Reds' destroyer-in-chief has been left exposed in the opening two games of this season, highlighting the need for fresh blood in that area of the team.

Despite already strengthening their midfield ranks this summer with the £60million addition of Mason Mount, he faces a spell on the sidelines with an unspecified injury. United have confirmed that he will miss this weekend's clash with Forest and next Sunday's trip to Arsenal as a minimum.

Even if Mount had been fit and available, United would have still needed to sign another midfielder, such was the lack of support and protection Casemiro received against Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur. Mount was too high to engage in defensive duties.

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United, of course, are considering a late swoop for Bayern Munich ace Ryan Gravenberch, though he is not an out-and-out defensive-midfielder. Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat, who is more aligned with the aforementioned role, is also on their radar.

However, United are finding it difficult to offload some of their deadwood, meaning funds might not be available for them to dip into the market before the bell at 11pm next Friday. They are actively trying to offload the likes of Eric Bailly, Harry Maguire and Donny van de Beek.

Failure to offload them could result in manager Erik ten Hag being