Louis Saha chooses between Declan Rice and Frenkie de Jong for Manchester United
Former Manchester United forward Louis Saha has revealed he would pick Declan Rice ahead of Frenkie de Jong to play in the Red Devils midfield.
The club have been linked with both de Jong and Rice, but it remains to be seen who they will go after when the transfer window reopens.
Erik ten Hag will have a massive midfield rebuild job to do as the trio of Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Jesse Lingard will depart the club in the summer.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is another player who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford, so it’s likely that the Red Devils will spend a lot of money to strengthen their midfield.
Manchester United told why they sign Declan Rice instead of Frenkie de Jong #MUFC
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When asked about who would be a better option for Manchester United, Saha leaned towards Rice for his Premier League experience and overall quality compared to de Jong.
Saha told Lord Ping:
"De Jong hasn't played in the Premier League so he'll need time to adapt but what a talent. It's hard to pick. The West Ham captain is a brilliant prospect and very strong in the middle of the park. He's an asset defending and going forward.
"If I had to pick I'd go for Rice as he provides security and it would be easy for him to adapt because of his experience of playing many years in the Premier League."
Manchester United will need a player of Rice's defensive awareness
While de Jong is undoubtedly a sublime player, Manchester United perhaps need a bit of steel in their midfield after what has transpired this season.
Their defense has time and again been exposed as the likes of Fred and Scott McTominay have not been consistent enough.
Five years and 194 appearances later...
🗓 #OnThisDay in 2017, @_DeclanRice made his debut for the Club! https://t.co/oS2IOXL4G3
As Saha said, Rice has the experience of playing in the Premier League and will provide good protection to the backline by sitting in front of the defense.
He doesn't shy away from going forward either, and his distribution is an underrated aspect of his game.
While de Jong would add more technical ability and better passing, Rice is perhaps exactly the player Manchester United's porous midfield needs.