Manchester United have a problem neither Frenkie de Jong or Adrien Rabiot will solve

Defensive midfield is a role that Manchester United have needed to fill for some years now.

With Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba having left in the summer and the lack of midfield incomings, it is clearer than ever that this team needs quality options in the centre of the park. That is the reason United are now targeting Adrien Rabiot as a potential signing, with a fee already agreed for the Juventus star.

Whether this deal materialises is yet to be seen. Either way, it's clear that United need quality options in midfield and the France international would certainly be someone who fits that mould.

READ MORE: Manchester United agree Adrien Rabiot fee with Juventus

For some seasons now, anyone who has watched United on a regular basis has known that Fred and McTominay are not good enough together as a defensive midfield duo. Sometimes it seems unfair to package them together, but under multiple United managers, the two have made themselves quite the double-act in the midfield creating all sorts of problems for the team throughout their time playing together.

Both have had good games at times and on occasion it was thought that they might push on and solidify that area of the pitch. McTominay impressed to some degree under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with fixtures against Leeds in particular springing to mind as occasions on which he's impressed. Fred looked one of the few players on an upward trajectory come the end of last season under Ralf Rangnick.

However, their partnership cost United once more in the 2-1 defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford. Throughout the game both looked poor.

Positioning was a major issue, as well as ball retention, with the Scotland international achieving the lowest pass accuracy in the team with only