Camavinga or Rice: Who is the missing piece in the Manchester United midfield puzzle?
Manchester United have ramped up their summer transfer activity, having sealed a deal for sancho" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jadon Sancho, with several outlets claiming that an agreement with Real Madrid for Raphael Varane will soon follow.
There is now renewed optimism amidst supporters after an underwhelming finish to the 2020/21 campaign that ended in a loss to Villareal in the Europa League final.
Manchester United have been without silverware for more than four years. But their steady and gradual improvement under Solskjær has bolstered belief among the Old Trafford faithful that the club are not far from challenging for the Premier League once again.
The '99 Champions League final hero has often had to settle for second and third choice signings. Ahead of his third full season as manager, new director of football John Murtough has secured two of Solskjær's long-term targets.
It doesn't appear like Manchester United will stop there though. According to ESPN, Solskjær is actively considering a change in formation that could signal the end of the "McFred" partnership.
For most of his tenure, the Norwegian has preferred a 4-2-3-1 formation with Scott McTominay and Fred stationed at the base of his midfield. However, he is now keen on shifting to a more attack-minded 4-3-3 system that has brought extraordinary success to the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City recently.
While McTominay and Fred are excellent ball-winners, they are prone to inconsistency and have generally been underwhelming in big games. Neither is capable of operating as a lone holding midfielder, and accommodating both together means benching Paul Pogba or playing the Frenchman out of position on the left wing.
Manchester United's next order of priority should clearly be a new defensive midfielder, and as of now rice" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Declan Rice and Eduardo Camavinga seem to be the most realistic options.
A "destroyer" or a "Kante"?
Rice and Camavinga may operate in the same position, but they have quite distinct styles of play.
Rice has the build and physicality of a player who could operate as a holding midfielder in a 4-3-3 system, although he has mostly played as part of a double pivot (with Tomas Soucek at West Ham and with Kalvin Phillips for England).
Perhaps unsurprisingly then, he averaged only 1.9 tackles per game last season in the Premier League compared to someone like Manchester City's Rodri, who weighs in at 2.4, although Rice's numbers were higher for England at the European Championships.
When compared with other top players in his position (Camavinga, Kante, Rodri, Fabinho), Rice comes in only behind Kante in interceptions per game, and has the highest number of blocks.
His sometimes awkward demeanor and playing style also hides a deceptively good ball-carrying ability. While Rice doesn't attempt too many take-ons, he has an impressive success rate of just over 85%.
His overall numbers and skillset suggest that he would be capable of playing as a lone holding midfielder, but there are risks involved. His lack of real-match experience in the role is a concern, and at Manchester United, he shouldn't expect a lot of defensive contributions from his midfield partners in Pogba and Fernandes.
Camavinga, while still one of the most exciting teenagers in Europe, would be even more ill-equipped to play in a 4-3-3 than Rice.
The 18-year-old started off his career as a defensive midfielder in a double-pivot, but has gradually been shifted to a more box-to-box role in which he excelled last season.
Perhaps the closest comparison one could make would be with N'Golo Kante, in the sense that he tends to be all over the pitch making offensive and defensive contributions. This is reflected in his numbers. Kante made more tackles per 90 minutes than any of the other midfielders considered, and also completed more take-ons.
This paints the picture of a player with maturity and confidence years ahead of his age, and it's becoming increasingly clear that every top European club will have to start actively tracking his situation at Rennes, if only not to concede him to a close rival.
Camavinga, then, would still be an excellent signing for Manchester United. He's a player who has the potential to easily adapt to the Premier League and become one of the best midfielders in the world, but Solskjær might have to compromise in terms of formations.
Pogba has already shown that he can operate well with a player with the work rate of Kante to cover for him, and the prospect of a partnership with Camavinga at Manchester United could convince him to stay at Old Trafford for the long term. It will, however, mean a continuation of the 4-2-3-1 system currently in place.
Who's more realistic for Manchester United?
With a substantial portion of their budget spent on Sancho and Varane, Manchester United will presumably not have a substantial amount of money to spend on a third player (at least not Sancho levels of money).
Manchester United have an advantage with Camavinga, with the Frenchman's contract at Rennes running out next summer. This would mean clubs lining up to sign him for free next January unless a renewal can be hashed out, and hence Rennes might be willing to lower their asking price.
In fact, he might be available for as low as €30 million, and it would be extraordinarily foolish for Manchester United to not explore possibilities this summer at the very least.
Rice would be a more delicate situation, with his contract running until 2024 with West Ham. The Hammers will be under no pressure to sell the 22-year-old this summer, although a departure in the long-term is inevitable.
While a stand-alone deal for Rice could go well in excess of £50 million, David Moyes is keen on reuniting with Jesse Lingard, who has now returned to the Manchester United pre-season camp after his loan spell expired. It is entirely possible that the 28-year-old could be used as part of a swap deal to bring down the asking price for Rice.
Such a deal still seems unlikely, though, with Solskjær stating recently that he expects Lingard to stay at Manchester United at the start of next season, although nothing has been ruled out either.
Final thoughts
Manchester United will come very close to giving City and Liverpool a run for their money with big signings in Varane and Sancho, but they will need a midfielder to go a step further.
Declan Rice might be the ideal signing - he's English, he's only 22, and he has years of Premier League experience. But potential complications with the deal might mean Manchester United would have to settle for Camavinga, although 'settle' might not be the right word to use.
The Frenchman is a tenacious, aggressive midfielder with loads of confidence and a solid 15 - 20 years ahead of him. His qualities will sync well with Pogba's, and he might be the key to restoring Manchester United on their perch.