Top 5 Worst United Central Midfielders of Post Fergie era

Honestly, I feel a little sorry for the kid (well, as sorry as you can feel for any guy who is earning about seven times more than he was earning a week ago).  United fans have been looking for a midfield destroyer forever and it’s going to be hard for him to meet the built-up expectation.  And judging by United’s insipid showing at Hull on Saturday; he needs to hit the ground running. 

Baleba will look to avoid becomilong line of central-midfield casualties in this post-Fergie era.  There have been some sporadic success stories (Herrera and Casemiro come to mind).  But by and large, the United engine room hasn’t been fully operational since the glory days.  With that in mind, here is my personal list for the five worst central midfielders of the post-Fergie era. 

5.Fred

I remember United fans consistently asking to see Fred’s passport, desperate for definitive proof that he was indeed Brazilian.  That sentiment sums up Fred’s time at United.  Jose Mourinho brought the central-midfield workhorse to the club from Shakhtar Donetsk for £47 million (they financially outmuscled Guardiola to his signature).  And he most certainly had his moments, winning the EFL Cup in 2022/2023 while scoring notable European goals against PSG and Barcelona.  But overall, he was a massive disappointment.  Part of an infamous double pivot with Scott McTominay (lovingly dubbed ‘McFred’), the Brazilian was simply too inconsistent, often turning the ball over at even the slightest bit of pressure.  McTominay at least had that Lampard-esque ability to maraud the box and pick up vital goals.  Fred was just too static, emblematic of United’s post-Fergie funk.   

4.Morgan Schneiderlin

You would be forgiven for forgetting that this even happened.  Yes, Morgan Schneiderlin was a Manchester United player.  He was bought by Louis van Gaal in the immediate, dark post-Fergie years (even the kits didn’t look elite).  Playing under Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton, he had been given the freedom to progress up the pitch.  The Frenchman said he felt restricted in van Gaal’s rigid setup and would overthink every little sideways pass.  When Mourinho took over from van Gaal in 2016, Schneiderlin was quickly reduced to a bit-part player.  The Frenchman has lamented the fact that he didn’t fight for his place, instead opting to force a move to Everton in the 2017 January window.  This is just a prime example of a promising career derailed by United dysfunction. 

3.Bastian Schweinsteiger

I feel bad including Schweinsteiger on this list.  He gives off such an authoritative aura that it feels like I’m badmouthing my father.  But this was just a terrible signing in every way.  Schweinsteiger was 30 when he joined United and well past his prime.  Louis van Gaal has publicly stated that Schweinsteiger couldn’t fulfil his leadership potential because he was never fit.  Dogged by leg issues, the German lacked the physicality to orchestrate the engine room at that stage of his career.  Jose Mourinho came in and froze him out, barring him from the first-team dressing room and forcing him to train alone or with the youth teams.  People who tend to mythologize Mourinho’s man-management skills often neglect to include his instances of casual cruelty. 

2.Manuel Ugarte

Some might consider it bad form to include a current player (especially one who just suffered a serious knee injury at the World Cup).  But Manuel Ugarte’s signing is just indicative of everything that Man United have done wrong since Fergie left.  Signed in 2024 for €50 million, Ugarte’s time at the club has been nothing short of a disaster.  Brought in as a textbook ‘water carrier’, Ugarte just looked technically deficient from the beginning.  He has the passing range of a Championship player and poor positional discipline.  Ugarte’s arrival also limited fan-favourite Kobbie Mainoo’s gametime, heaping even further pressure on the Uruguayan.  He did manage to etch himself into United infamy, losing seven consecutive Premier League matches in which he started. 

1.Donny van de Beek

If Harvard were to ever teach a course on how to mismanage top midfield talent: Donny van de Beek would be the perfect place to start.  A product of the legendary Ajax Youth Academy, van de Beek was instrumental in Ajax’s run to the 2018/19 Champions League semifinals.  Ole Gunnar Solksjaer bought him for around £35 million and didn’t really know what to do with him.  The Norwegian already had Bruno in more advanced areas and preferred a double pivot of highly aggressive, physical players.  Van de Beek moved from an Ajax team that was all about possession and short passes (total football, if you will), to a United team that played on the counterattack and needed pace in transition.  Van de Beek’s opportunities became very limited.  When he did get the odd chance to play, he resembled a traumatized Tintin looking for his way home.  The positional confusion continued under both Rangnick and Ten Hag, and he was eventually sold to Girona for the paltry sum of £400 000.