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German football icon and former Manchester United star Bastian Schweinsteiger has revealed his top three midfield targets for the club, with one choice in particular standing out as a remarkable selection.
United are bracing for a busy summer transfer window, with a number of areas in urgent need of improvement, including the midfield department.
The Red Devils lack quality depth in the middle of the park, along with players who seamlessly fit into Ruben Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 system.
Combine this with the fact that Christian Eriksen is poised to leave upon the expiry of his contract and the ongoing uncertainty over Casemiro’s future, and it makes sense why United are eyeing midfield reinforcements.
United continue to be linked with a number of stars including Ederson (Atalanta), Jobe Bellingham (Sunderland), Chris Rigg (Sunderland), Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig), Stanislav Lobotka (Napoli), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis) and James McAtee (Manchester City), just to mention a few.
However, Schweinsteiger believes United should be pursuing three other players instead, despite all of them being very unlikely – Rodri (Manchester City), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain) and Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona).
Schweinsteiger spoke to Manchester World and said, “I mean, in an ideal world, Rodri. I like that player a lot, I like Frenkie de Jong a lot at Barcelona, and PSG’s Vitinha.”
“Those kind of players are crucial nowadays in my eyes, and I keep an eye on them.”
It’s safe to say that United are highly unlikely to pursue any of the three players, let alone secure them. Rodri is arguably City’s most crucial player, as shown this season by their struggles in his absence. There’s no way City would let him move across the road to their rivals.
Meanwhile, Vitinha has been a key figure for PSG this season, helping them secure the Ligue 1 title and now preparing for a semi-final clash against Arsenal in the Champions League.
United came close to signing De Jong a few years back, even agreeing a few with Barcelona, but the Netherlands international did not give his green light.
Schweinsteiger also spoke about Kobbie Mainoo and gave his opinion on what he believes is the 20-year-old’s best position on the pitch.
The former Bayern Munich and United man remarked, “I like Kobbie Mainoo very much. I think his best position in an Amorim team is as a number eight, he’s a very intelligent player with the capabilities to push forward.”
“So yeah, I think the number eight role would be the best one for him.”
Schweinsteiger spent two years at United and won the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League.
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