Paul Pogba's £16m midfield replacement must be high on Manchester United transfer priority list

Manchester United have a significant overhaul to complete in the summer. A new manager is set to come through the doors of Old Trafford and hopefully, the club will support him with a number of transfers in important areas.

So far in this transfer breakdown series, we have looked at the goalkeeper position as well as the right-back and a fourth choice centre-back in defence. In the most recent instalment we focused on the defensive midfield position, which is arguably one of the most crucial transfers for United to complete in this window. But the midfield may still need strengthening.

So as always let's look at the situation United find themselves in, the profile of players they need and in my opinion the best possible candidate for the club to target. Of course, as always, this depends on which manager United appoint, but the players chosen are selected to be as tactically flexible as possible.

READ MORE: Manchester United's vital summer transfer alternative to Declan Rice and Aurelien Tchouameni

The Situation

Paul Pogba's contract expires in the summer and it is still uncertain whether he will leave or renew. United need to plan as if the former is true and a player needs to be identified not to replace the Frenchman, but to do the role that the club has tried to squeeze him into.

What is meant by that is there has been a constant discussion about how United 'unlock' Pogba, but if you are playing a structured system it is impossible to really get the best out of him. He thrives in a free role where his responsibility is minimised. At United, he has always had a job to do and this has limited his impact, though he has also had great games in that time.

What Pogba does at his most successful is give United stability in