Miralem Pjanic: A young playmaker flourishing under Rudi Garcia and why Manchester United should target him

After enduring a difficult start to his tenure as Manchester United manager, David Moyes will no doubt be asking the Glazer family to flash the cash when the transfer window re-opens in January. If only to appease sections of the United fan base who feel the team are lacking a star name or two.

Changing managers for the first time in 26 years was never going to be an easy transition for United, but most would have expected them to fare better than they are currently doing given their canter to the title last season. A summer lacking in arrivals saw Marouane Fellaini as the only recognised signing made by Moyes – a decision that left the Old Trafford faithful dumbfounded as they demanded a creative midfielder to compliment Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney in the attacking third.

The Red Devils’ statistics for the season so far suggest that the supporters’ demands were warranted as the side sits 8th in the Premier League table – 8 points behind table-toppers Arsenal.

Key to this rapid demise has been the drop in standard of United’s passing game under Moyes. So far they have registered an average possession of 54%, which is down 2% from the same stage last season. The drop in possession could be attributed to the side’s average pass completion rate, which has dropped a whopping 6% since last season and now comes in at 83% – hitting its lowest point during last weekend’s draw with Southampton (77%).

Not only have the basic passing stats been down this season, but they haven’t been creating nearly as many chances compared to their totals at this stage last season. They sit 9th in the Premier League rankings table for key passes made, making only 78 throughout the side compared to 94 last season, a drop in 2 chances per game.

It is this significant drop in passing that must be to blame for their lack of goals compared to under Ferguson. This season they have managed only 11 goals in the 8 games they have played, nearly half the amount they had after 8 games last season (21) and is an area that must be addressed in January if they are to challenge for trophies in the near future.

A player they could look at to change their creative fortunes is Bosnia & Herzegovina international Miralem Pjanic. The midfielder has taken on a key role at Roma this season under Rudi Garcia – inspiring the team to maximum points from their first 8 games, including scoring a brace against second place Napoli on Friday evening that earned him the Squawka Man of the Match award (89 points).

Not only did he score both of Roma’s goals in the game, but he was the creative force behind most I Giallorossi attacks – playing 6 of the 9 key passes played by the home side on the night as well as boasting an 86% pass completion rate.

As the player begins to flourish under his new boss, it is surely only a matter of time before he is linked with Europe’s elite and he is certainly a player that would help Manchester United’s cause if they were to sign him.

United are struggling to get the ball into goal-scoring positions and Pjanic, who was linked with Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, is someone who can fill the creative void in Moyes’ team. As well as boasting a wide range of passing, the 23-year old has scored 3 goals in Serie A this season and Moyes would be foolish to ignore the talented playmaker’s current form.