Man United supporters are desperately crying out for investment in their midfield, and these passing stats show why.
In recent years, ‘The Red Devils’ have received massive amounts of criticism for their quality in the centre of the park. Gone are the days when they’d boss the central area through incredible pass-pickers like Paul Scholes, Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick. They now have to settle for Paul Pogba’s questionable attitude, Fred’s sub-standard performances, and Nemanja Matic’s lack of fitness.
Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure, the team has completely imploded. Elite-level managers like Jose Mourinho and Louis Van Gaal have desperately tried to bring the side back to their best to no avail. But while the quality of the squad as a whole is an issue, the midfield could be United’s biggest problem.
Read: Declan Rice jumps to strong defence of “unbelievable” Paul Pogba.
Man United passing stats revealed
United Arena took to Twitter to reveal the progressive passing stats at the club per minute since 2009. And aside from Paul Pogba, the numbers tell the story.
Carrick tops the table, who in 2012-13 completed an exceptional 11.24. Pogba claims second place with 10.49, which he acquired in 2016-17. Scholes bags the bronze with 9.88 in 2009-10, just ahead of Darren Fletcher, who secured 9.67 in the same season.
The list then features a blend of the four United legends. They alternate repeatedly for a staggering eighteen places until Nemanja Matic enters the fray. The Serbian averaged 6.66 in 2019-20. And although he begins to feature regularly in the table from that point, questions have to be asked.
Fred comes in at a disappointing 25th place with a rate of 5.80 in 2020-21, which is less than half of Carrick’s record. While Scott McTominany features one place below with 5.05 in the same season.
The evidence is clear. The passing at Old Trafford isn’t good enough. This area of United’s game is an obvious weakness preventing them from returning to their best. Unless they secure the services of better playmakers, they’ll have to resign themselves to their disappointing reality of scrapping for a Champions League place.
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