Manchester United's four midfield options to partner Frenkie de Jong are all problematic

Erik ten Hag has made Frenkie de Jong his priority signing for the midfield this summer. And although a number of areas need addressing across the Manchester United squad, most fans would agree that the centre of the park requires a significant upgrade if they are going to compete with their rivals.

But if the club do secure the signing of De Jong, who is going to partner him in midfield? Most United fans would hope that a second midfielder would follow the Dutchman in through the doors of Old Trafford, but if that is not the case then the club would have to look internally.

There are four main options to partner De Jong at United. The first two, Donny van de Beek and James Garner, are more forward-thinking and even though the latter could be adapted to a holding role, he would likely be behind the more senior options at least initially. Fred would probably be the most functional fit, however, he is much more useful in affecting the game further forward so would be better as a rotational option for the Dutchman.

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This leaves Scott McTominay, who many United fans have suggested could be De Jong's perfect partner, given his aerial ability and tenacious tackling. But the reality is that the academy graduate is not good enough technically to make that midfield pivot functional.

McTominay often plays in the shadow of the opponent. By that I mean his positioning in possession is often so poor he marks himself out of the game and denies the defence or his fellow midfielder a passing option by standing too close to the opposition.

It seems like he does this to pre-empt United losing possession and then already be in a position to