Manchester United have been crying out for a creative midfielder, with Wayne Rooney being forced to drop deeper in order to create chances for the team. His injury has highlighted the lack of creativity in United’s midfield, and Bosnian international Miralem Pjanic has been linked with a move to Old Trafford this January to address this very issue. Here are three reasons why United should break the bank on the Roma star.
Creativity
Pjanic is the mixture of a central midfielder and an attacking midfielder, equally capable of playing either role. This versatility coupled with his great vision will be the ideal foil for United’s other midfield anchors. He created 56 chances in 27 appearances last season, including five assists, while he looks set to beat his tally from last season having created 42 chances in 19 appearances so far this season including four assists. (Stats as per squawka)
Pjanic prefers to play short passes, as attested by his average pass length of 17m last season and 16m so far this campaign. That being said, he has the capability of playing long balls also, having successfully completed 64 long balls this season with an accuracy of 84%, compared to his overall passing accuracy of 88%. He also has the ability to play defense-splitting through balls, having completed 5 of the 7 through balls he has attempted, while he did so successfully on 21 occasions last season with an impressive 52.4% accuracy.