In the previous post, I have already mentioned the changes that need to be made to the defense. As was evident, the defense would not have been in the need of a major overhaul were it not for the injury concerns of Ferdinand, and to an extent Vidic and Brown, plus the last season of Edwin van der Sar. Another major point is that it certainly seems that Vidic might leave next season, so the defense has to be almost rebuilt, especially at the centre.

However, the major point of concern for us supporters this season has been the inefficiency of the midfield this season. Except against a few teams, it was almost given that United would dominate matches through their midfield, as has been happening for the last several years now. However, since near the end of the last season and almost throughout this season, the midfield has been dominated at times by even mid table teams. Granted, Everton, Fulham, and Aston Villa have an abundance of talent in their respective midfields, but as champions of England, United are supposed to have a much better midfield comparatively. It is of utmost importance that it be understood as to why this deterioration in the midfield is happening.

Two of the major reasons are Giggs and Scholes. Brilliant performers over the years, they have now reached the tail ends of their careers. It is just not possible for them to put in domineering performances all the time. True, both have played brilliantly for the most part, but they cannot keep this up anymore. It is almost certain at least one of them will retire this season, while the other will play only in major matches, where their experience would be invaluable. So, they need to be replaced, but, given their talent and ability, they cannot be replaced like for like. Suitable replacements have to be found.

The other issues have been the prolonged absence of Hargreaves, a considerable fall in Carrick's abilities, and the lack of a genuine left winger. Hargreaves is a brilliant defensive as well as a versatile midfielder, with an added ability to play on the wings, in defense, as well as act as a dead ball specialist. His range of abilities have been missed considerably this season when he could have dominated teams in combination with the brilliant Fletcher, who is rapidly developing into a superb box-to-box midfielder. Carrick is no longer seen as making those trademark long and short passes which had become his hallmark in his first two seasons. Now he usually passes sideways or back, which does not help the team at all. He has chipped in with a couple of goals, but so has Fletcher, and he has been a revelation this season. As for the left winger, the team lacks a genuine left footed speed merchant. Park is not very pacy, nor does he have any tricks up his sleeve. Obertan is still rough, even though he has shown his abilities at times. Nani is better at cutting in from the left wing and taking a shot at goal rather than crossing, because he has to shift the ball to his right foot. Anderson can play there, but now that he is out with injury for the rest of this season, he could not be sufficiently assessed for the position, and anyways, he should work on his fitness, especially stamina, as well as shooting ability, if he wants to hold down a place.

The solution for this plethora of problems is a rejuvenation of the midfield. Scholes should be allowed to retire, while Giggs is played in an increasingly lesser number of matches. If Hargreaves comes back, it'll be a bonus. Nevertheless, signings have to be made, starting from a central midfielder who can play either as a playmaker or an attacking midfielder, who can act as a replacement of Scholes, with the ability of taking shots at goal and arriving in the penalty box at the right moments.This player was supposed to be Anderson, but his lack of shooting and stamina have stymied his progress. So, players who could be brought in for this role are Joao Moutinho (of Sporting Lisbon), Luka Modric (of Tottenham Hotspurs), Yoann Gourcuff (of Bordeaux), Mesut Ozil (of Werder Bremen), Silva (of Valencia), and Rafael van der Vaart (of Real Madrid). While all the others are young at 20-23, van der Vaart is older at 27, but considering that he is the playmaker of the very attacking Dutch national team, he would be well suited for this role for a number of years. The others are of course for the future, but almost all are talismanic for their respective club sides, so will have high transfer fees. Additionally, van der Vaart can also play deeper as a playmaker (though not defensively), and his repertoire of passing would be welcome. He is also good at free kicks. He is, however, not as dynamic as the others, but he will have good foils in Fletcher, and if available, Hargreaves. He would have a transfer fees of around €15 million.

However, if Hargreaves does not recover, another player to replace him would need to be found, someone as equally dynamic and versatile for a number of positions. Jack Rodwell (of Everton) is someone who immediately comes to mind of United supporters, but given Everton's attitude, he is likely to have a transfer fees far in excess of his value. Thus, other, more experienced replacements have to be found. One player ideally suited for this position in the team in Daniele de Rossi (of AS Roma). Probably the best defensive midfielder playing in Italy right now, barring Esteban Cambiasso (of Inter Milan), de Rossi is a complete player for his role. Defensively sound, quick, aggressive, with a good long range shot, de Rossi has been linked with Arsenal and Chelsea previously. His method of play, the all action type, would suit United to the T, and be suitably complementary to a playmaker, such as van der Vaart, or a box-to-box midfielder, like Fletcher or Hargreaves. The other player who is featuring quite a bit in the news is Miguel Veloso (of Sporting Lisbon). A talented player who can play in the defensive midfield as well as the centre back role, Veloso, at just 23, is also one of the lynchpins of the Portugal national side and well regarded by former United coach Carlos Quiroz, who is the current Portuguese national team coach. A quick and dynamic midfielder, he excels at making late attacking runs into the opposition penalty box and has a good shot on him. Plus, he is a dead ball specialist and has a good heading ability as well, which add to his threat as both a goal creator as well as scorer. Other players, if readers follow the Bundesliga and the Ligue 1, would also come to mind for this role. They are Sami Khedira (of VfB Stuttgart) and Jeremy Toulalan (of Lyon). Khedira is the captain of Sttutgart at just 22, and is leading his side's resurgence up the league table with a vengeance. He is one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the Bundesliga, and is adaptable to playing almost any position on the pitch. Additionally, his style is completely similar to Fletcher's, with the addition of a good shooting ability, and so they could either be played together to cause absolute havoc in midfield, or as a substitute for the other. Toulalan, on the other hand, is a more cultured player. A perfect defensive midfielder, he has played stellar roles as a centre back as well for Lyon on several occasions. Someone adept at shielding the back four from opposition attacks, his positional and movement sense is amazing. He is good at dead ball situations as well, and has caused problems with his free kicks when he has taken them. At 26, he has age on his side as well. Again, both players are critical to their sides, especially Khedira, but a bid in the region of €20-25 million would be sufficient for either of them. de Rossi would command a higher figure at closer to €30-35 million. Veloso, due to United's good relationships with most Portugal clubs, would command a lesser fees of close to €15-20 million. If Carrick were to be sold, he would command a transfer fees of atleast €20 million, which would go a long way in helping the purchase, though it is doubtful if Sir Alex would let go of two of the team's best passers in a single season.

With the central midfield covered, we would move on to the problematic left wing. Long has Ryan Giggs had a stranglehold on it, but with his age, his grip on it has waned as well. A number of players have been tried for this role, but none have been exceptional. Be it Nani, Park, Obertan, Tosic, or Anderson (who didn't really get a chance to shine before the injury happened), no one has been able to stake a claim on it. Nani is obviously better suited to the right wing, where he can compete with Valencia for a spot, and Obertan and Anderson are still very young. Zoran Tosic never really got a chance to prove himself before he was sent on loan to FC Cologne, but he might be kept for the next season. A slightly more experienced player is required for this very specialized role, because if a superb player can be found, the balance of the 4-4-2 formation can be achieved again, since United are very dependent on crosses from the right wing currently. Players who can take up the left wing successfully are not too many. David Silva (of Valencia), Hatem Ben Arfa (of Marseilles), Angel de Maria (of Benfica), and Arda Turan (of Galatasaray) are young players who come to mind, with United having been linked to the former two earlier. The best left winger on form right now, however, is Juan Manuel Vargas (of Fiorentina). Silva has been an exceptional player at Valencia, and is coveted by both Barcelona and Real Madrid, due to his versatility in attack, with the ability to play on the left wing, in the hole behind the strikers, as an attacking midfielder, and as a support striker. His free kick ability is exceptional, and he would provide the option of a free kick being taken by a left footed player. He is also a constant fixture in the Spain national side. Ben Arfa is a prodigious talent, a quicksilver attacker who can play as a striker as well as a winger. Under utilized at Marseilles this season, he was supposed to have been as big a talent as Karim Benzema (of Real Madrid). However, he does have an attitude problem, but Sir Alex should be able to set him right. He has already shown his prodigious ability at Lyon in combination with Benzema two seasons earlier. de Maria has been a revelation on Benfica's left wing this season, causing all major clubs to line up for his signature, and hence he now has a sizable buy-out clause in his contract. Fast, tricky, and armed with a superb footballing brain, de Maria has single handedly destroyed teams in the Portuguese league as well as the Europa League this season. However, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Barcelona are likely to go into a bidding war for the young winger, and United wouldn't want to put most of their transfer resources in a major basket. Arda Turan is a traditional left winger, tricky and fast, and very good with crosses and passes. A constant fixture in the Turkey national team, he has been linked to Liverpool earlier. He is an amazing prospect, and would only get better with age. But the best choice at this point of time would be Vargas. A left wing back turned left winger, Vargas is equally at home speeding and tricking his way through opposition defences as he is comfortable in stopping opposition attacks on the left wing. With his bursts of speed and quick feet comes a very frightening ability of powerful and accurate long range shooting. Linked with Real Madrid and Chelsea, Vargas would be well received at Old Trafford, where wingers are expected to be quick, tricky, as well as being slightly defensive minded. For now, Vargas fits the bill perfectly because he would also allow the constantly playing Patrice Evra to catch some rest on occasions when he would deputise at the left back position. Silva, Ben Arfa, de Maria and Turan are all in the 22-24 age group, while Vargas is 26. Silva and Vargas would be the more expensive propositions, each costing around €35-40 million, possibly due to a bidding war with Real Madrid and Barcelona. de Maria has a buy-out clause of € 40 million, with signing fees and salary added to this value, causing this to be possibly the most expensive transfer in this group. Ben Arfa would be available for around €20-25 million, while Turan would come for around €15 million.

Overall, preferably, this is how the United midfield options should look at the start of next season at the time of the closure of the summer transfer window:

RW: Luis Antonio Valencia, Nani, Owen Hargreaves, Darren Fletcher, Ji-Sung Park.

CM: Darren Fletcher, Owen Hargreaves, Anderson, Darren Gibson, Miguel Veloso/Sami Khedira/Daniele de Rossi, Rafael van der Vaart (and, or) Luka Modric/Joao Moutinho, Ji-Sung Park, Ryan Giggs

LW: Anderson, Ji-Sung Park, Gabriel Obertan, Ryan Giggs, Juan Manuel Vargas/David Silva/Hatem Ben Arfa, Zoran Tosic.

Combined with the upcoming reserve players Magnus Eikram and Rodrigo Possebon, this would provide a youthful, yet balanced look to the midfield, with around 14 players available for selection. If such were to be the case, perhaps a couple of players, such as Gibson and Possebon, can be sent out on further loans for them to gain more first team experience, still giving us a cushion of around 12 midfielders at any point of time.