It's no secret that Manchester United has had a terrible start to the season.
The Red Devils find themselves mired in 15th place of the Premier League heading into Matchday 8, with just nine goals to their credit after six games played. It's depressing stuff if you're a United fan, as the club has been unable to live up to its status as the winningest side in English soccer history.
Part of the problem stems from the midfield, which has been disjointed at the best of times. The modern game requires a strong midfield corps, and while there are several talented pieces available to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, nothing seems to be working.
On the latest episode of "Shoot-Out," hosts Steve Bower and Greg Brady discuss Solskjaer's options as the United manager looks to get the most out of an underperforming midfield.
For Bower, the lack of cohesion comes down to a poor recruitment strategy.
"There's nothing perfect about the list of players that they have in that position," Bower said. "You have to get players into position, into formation and into a team ethic with a clear plan and a clear strategy of playing, and the acquisition of Donny van de Beek — as good a player he was, and still is, in his Ajax shirt and in the Netherlands shirt, as you say he's only 23 — we said it on 'Shoot-Out' at the time. Nothing against his ability, [but] he wasn't that type of player that Manchester United needed."
Bower continued with his criticism of the club's roster-building strategy, likening it to one a gamer would use in a FIFA video game rather than in real life. There are simply too many similar, high-priced players in United's midfield which is causing selection problems for Solskjaer, Bower said.
"And we are going back again to the illogical recruitment because really, really and truthfully, Donny van de Beek and probably Paul Pogba ... they want to play, and they should be playing in the position of Bruno Fernandes," Bower said. "Now there's no way Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is going to leave out Bruno Fernandes. That's not even a debate. So, quite straight away he's now trying to fit players in — and I said to you on Shoot-Out right at the beginning that you will not see the three of them in the starting lineup very often, if ever, and so far this season. It has proven."
Watch the entire episode of "Shoot-Out" above or on DAZN's YouTube page.