The squad issue that Manchester United must address in January transfer window

There are nine players currently at Manchester United that play as central midfielders. But how many midfielders is *too* many midfielders?

Both Donny van de Beek and Scott McTominay have another 18 months on their contract while Casemiro’s deal is not up until 2026 by which time he will be 34 years old. It looks increasingly unlikely that Van de Beek will be moved on this summer.

Ten Hag has deployed a 4-2-3-1 for the majority of the season thus far, requiring only three central midfield players. There is a head-spinning amount of different midfield combinations that Ten Hag could play in his United midfield.

Talented youngster Hannibal Mejbri, who spent last term on loan at Birmingham City, will be coming to the end of his contract next year. He is surely a player that would like to see some form of pathway to first-team football in the next six months if he is to stay at United.

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Likewise, Kobbie Mainoo, whose contract does not run out anywhere near as soon as Mejbri’s, will be hoping for game time on his return from injury to ensure that his development is not stunted by being kept in the U23s for the entirety of the season, but he has already had a big vote of confidence from his manager and will expect more opportunities.

Ten Hag has a balancing act to carry out between now and January. While some players' positions, like Van de Beek, in the squad seems clear, having so many players wanting to play in a team that only allows three of them on the field at one time is not an ideal situation to be in.

This is especially true when there are undroppables such as captain Bruno Fernandes, who also rarely seems to suffer injuries that keep him out of