United have been heavily linked with Ryan Gravenberch and Sofyan Amrabat this summer after midfield problems emerged

The call for Erik ten Hag to strengthen the midfield was elicited after their harrowing win over Wolves in the opening game. The calls became much more urgent after the 0-2 loss to Spurs.

The Red Devils signed Mason Mount from Chelsea earlier this summer but the England international has so far failed to help United strike a balance. He does not link well with Casemiro and is not suitable to play low in the midfield. United have reason to be interested in both Bayern Munich’s Gravenberch and Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat. Any rookie needs to show creativity in midfield while also doing a good job defending from a distance.

After great performances at Ajax, Gravenberch joined Bayern Munich last summer with great expectations, but suffered a disappointing first season in Germany, with six Bundesliga starts. But at the age of 21, the Dutchman’s potential is clear. Despite a lot of reserve, Gravenberch has shown a really impressive offensive ability, making an average of 3.91 shots per 90 minutes.

Amrabat is a different type of defensive midfielder. He possesses an enviable passing ability, with 38.37 averaging and successful passes every 90 minutes, more than Gravenberch’s 21.1.

Defensively, Gravenberch surprises with more tackles and intercepts per 90 minutes than Amrabat last season (2.66 vs 2.03), despite playing in a more favorable position, attack more. At the same time, he also has a higher average number of interceptions and clearances than the Moroccan international. That shows the comprehensiveness the Dutchman can offer, making Gravenberch a more valuable option for United. One thing that is impressive is that both midfielders like to hold the ball, having similar numbers of drags.

Ten Hag has worked with both players before, but this strategist seems to be most impressed with Gravenberch. In April 2022, Ten Hag said: “Despite his young age, Ryan has a lot of experience and, above all, won titles.

“He’s very important to the team because he’s a box-to-box player. Ryan dribbles well, passes the ball extremely accurately and knows how to participate in building the game. Thanks to his fitness and ideal physique, he’s also strong in duels, transitions and can also recovers the ball.”

There is no denying Amrabat’s qualities, although the statistics show that Gravenberch is the more comprehensive type of player. Ten Hag always wants his players to be flexible, and Gravenberch can take on some midfield roles when needed. He can be the solution to the current Man United midfield problem.