Ashley Young believes Manchester United still haven’t replaced Michael Carrick in the heart of their midfield and a PSG player is the one they should be going after.
The Red devils recorded a 2-1 victory over Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday but were made to work for it, especially in midfield.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer chose to start Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay in midfield against the La Liga giants but Young believes there is still room for improvement.
The former United player watched PSG’s 2-0 win over Manchester City on Tuesday as Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi made the headlines after the match.
But Young was most impressed by Marco Verratti, who he believes would be an ‘unbelievable signing’ for Solskjaer’s side to replace Carrick… who retired in 2018.
‘The Michael Carrick type has been missing for years. They haven’t gone out and replaced Michael Carrick,’ Young told BBC Radio 5 Live.
‘Don’t get me wrong – Fred and [Scott] McTominay are good players but I don’t think there’s a Michael Carrick around.”
‘I was watching the PSG v City game and I think Marco Verratti is the closest one and nobody’s gone out to test the waters to try to sign him. ‘I think he would be an unbelievable signing for Manchester United.’
Verratti has been linked with a move to Old Trafford in the past, most notably in the summer of 2018, but the Italy international is currently under contract until 2024.
He helped PSG win the French Ligue 1 in 2020 and played a vital part in Italy’s triumph at Euro 2020. And while any move for Verratti looks unlikely, United supporters will have to get used to watching Fred and McTominay partnership.
Despite the huge criticism from some sections of the club fans over the pairing, the Norwegian manager has made it clear he trusts them to deliver good displays and results.
‘First of all, the stats for those two together, we have had many good results,’ he said. ‘The way we broke up play against Villa I think they are very instrumental together. The energy and desire. I really like to have the two of them. I can trust them to give us what they’ve got.
‘Fans will always have opinions, it is easy to say who should be playing.’
