Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville both believe Michael Carrick has a real problem trying to accommodate Bruno Fernandes in a midfield three this season. Manchester United invested heavily in their midfield engine room, with Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos all arriving at Old Trafford this summer.
Fernandes deployed out wide
All three summer signings started in the defeat to Atletico Madrid during the week, with Fernandes deployed out on the right-hand side of the attack. Carrick opted for a similar approach at Elland Road for the clash with Leeds United, but the duo were not convinced ahead of the game.
Speaking on Sky Sports before kick-off, Carragher said: "The problem when you put three midfield players in there is what you do with your best player, Fernandes. Now, we've got him out wide left, in Madrid he was actually out wide right as well, and he's trying to get into pockets. I mean, you see a lot of teams do that now.
"You can't always just play with two wingers, but if you want to play with three midfield players, you're almost shoehorning in your best player as well. So, again, that can maybe cause a problem going forward. He won't be happy playing in a wide position."
Pundits agree on midfield issues
Fellow pundit Micah Richards agreed and said: "The key is, though, what are they trying to do? You know, when you set up your team, why were Man Utd successful last season? Because they were in a low block and they were good on transition. Now, obviously, they're trying to develop, they're trying to be a better team on the front foot and try and have all these rotations, but what's happening when they do that?
"They've got big, massive gaps in the middle. There's no point Baleba running out and pressing if the rest of the midfield don't come with him as well. They need to work as a collective. I think that's Man Utd's biggest problem, that the games I've watched certainly this season."
Former United defender Neville agreed with his two fellow pundits and said: "There was a time where Ruben Amorim was playing Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro in midfield. Then when he wanted to make it a little bit more solid, he would put someone else in there, like Ugarte, with Casemiro, and he'd put Bruno Fernandes out onto wide.
"We've been down this road, we've seen it, it's not ideal. I don't think Bruno Fernandes looked completely happy in terms of his position over in Madrid on Tuesday, but he has done it before, and he'll do it again. When you're moving your best player, the PFA player of the year, the best player of the league last year, into a position into a wide area, you know that you're struggling."
