Former Manchester United captain Gary Nevill has called on Michael Carrick to rethink his midfield combination after the disappointing 1-1 draw against Tottenham. Nevill pointed out that the partnership of Youri Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo isn't providing the speed and dynamism required for a team of United's stature.
This summer, United splashed over £150 million to bolster their midfield, bringing in Tielemans, Andre Santos, and Carlos Baleba. However, Baleba has been sidelined with an ankle injury sustained while at Brighton, meaning he has missed the start of the season.
As a result, Tielemans and Mainoo have started five out of six Premier League matches together.
In the clash against Tottenham, the pair faced significant troubles, being outmatched in pace and physicality by Spurs' Sandro Tonali, Lukas Bergvall, and Conor Gallagher.
Tielemans, in particular, struggled and was substituted before the hour mark, making way for Baleba, who made his debut for the Red Devils.
After the match, Nevill shared his thoughts in his podcast:
I think we’ve seen enough of the Tielemans and Mainoo partnership. I’m not saying it should be completely written off—that would be too drastic. But it’s clear that this midfield lacks the dynamism needed for Manchester United to compete in the Premier League.
Despite his critique, Nevill expressed no doubts regarding the individual talents of both players.
He added:
Individually, they’re both good players. But sometimes, players simply don’t complement each other, and that synergy is missing.
The former defender noted that Baleba's introduction changed United's dynamic in the middle of the park.
When Baleba came on and partnered with Mainoo, there was a lot more energy in midfield.
Nevill insisted that Carrick must quickly find the optimal midfield pairing, especially with three consecutive away matches looming: a clash with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, followed by a match against Como and a Premier League encounter with Leeds.
He warned:
Changes will be necessary in midfield. Ahead lies Atletico with Diego Simeone and a trip to Elland Road. If the team isn’t ready, both mentally and physically, the opponents will exploit that.
The players have a couple of days to recuperate and regroup. If they don’t start performing better, the next few weeks could be very worrying.
Thus, Baleba's return could prompt Carrick to reconsider the usual Tielemans-Mainoo partnership. Nevill believes that without adjustments in midfield, United risks facing even tougher challenges in the upcoming fixtures.
