Rumours abound over who Manchester United could sign to bulk up in midfield this summer. Nemanja Matic could make the switch from Chelsea. There is interest in Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur. In transfer windows gone by, Blaise Matuidi, Kevin Strootman and Arturo Vidal have been picked out as potential targets.
However, one name stands out above the others due to his versatility, consistency and the range of options his arrival would open up for Jose Mourinho: Monaco midfielder Fabinho.
The Brazilian was talked about as a potential signing in the summer of 2016 to reinforce the squad at right-back but in a season that saw the Ligue 1 side clinch the French title and reach the final four of the Champions League the 23-year-old showed his class and maturity as one of the leaders by example in Leonardo Jardim’s young squad.
A true all-rounder who can step in to play as the defensive anchorman, in central midfield and at full-back, here are three ways United could line-up with Fabinho in their side.
Midfield three
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Fabinho has played in a midfield three with Joao Moutinho and Tiemoue Bakayoko at Monaco.
Even before Paul Pogba’s return to Old Trafford was confirmed, the question of how to bring the best out of the Frenchman was a topic of great discussion.
Those who had watched him tear teams to pieces and maraud through midfield with Juventus in Serie A reported that he was most effective with two partners in the middle and an attacking left-back to play off as he moved into the final third.
Yet Mourinho initially seemed to prefer to play his club record signing in a two-man midfield, similar to how he was used by France manager Didier Deschamps at Euro 2016. His critics demanded that he try playing with three, deploying Michael Carrick behind a central pairing of Pogba and Ander Herrera.
It was a combination that worked well up to a point, but given Carrick’s age – he turns 36 in July 2017 – it was unsustainable as a solution to be used week in, week out. Marouane Fellaini is either too rash or too conservative with his passing to play a deeper-lying role in front of the back four, and has been more effective higher up the pitch.
Fabinho would offer United exactly what they need as the ballast at the foot of their midfield providing the stability and balance to give Pogba the platform he needs to thrive.
Last season, he topped the charts at Monaco for tackles won in Ligue 1 (80), was second for interceptions in midfield (53) and top for passes attempted and completed as Jardim’s side won the French title in exhilarating fashion, scoring 107 goals on the way. Only Barcelona could beat that tally across Europe’s top five leagues.
The Brazilian did his part in ensuring his club were always able to play on the front-foot. He didn’t just cut out passes, win the ball and spoil the opposition’s moves, and ended the season as Monaco’s third most creative player behind Thomas Lemar and Bernardo Silva.
Fabinho was also equal to the new Manchester City signing for attempted through balls with 10 although no Monaco player completed more successful through balls than the Brazilian, who ended the Ligue 1 season with six, while playing much deeper than the Portuguese and his other attack-minded colleagues.
Carrick too always offered more to his team than a screen to help protect his defence. It is vital that his successor is capable of starting and building moves in addition to preventing the opposition from playing.
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Midfield two
Tiemoue Bakayoko and Fabinho were Monaco’s two-man wrecking crew in the middle.
Over the last two years the Premier League has been in raptures over the brilliance of N’Golo Kante. The tireless Frenchman has been hailed as having the energy of two players in one by his team mates at Leicester City and Chelsea, with whom he won the title in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Fabinho is a very difficult kind of player to Antonio Conte’s pocket powerhouse but for Monaco he has been just as important, allowing the Ligue 1 champions to play 4-4-2 without having to worry about being overrun through the middle.
Deployed alongside Chelsea-bound Tiemoue Bakayoko, the Brazilian offered the brains to the 22-year-old’s brawn, though neither struggled to play when required. Yet his partner played the part of the aggressor as Fabinho focused on covering for the runs of others, reading the game in front of him to know where he had to be next and denying his opponents the gaps and angles they wished to play through or find with their passing.
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He was, to all intents and purposes, the midfield general hanging back to survey the scene, keep his side on-plan and taking care of whatever needed to be done to allow Lemar and Silva to cut inside from the flanks in support of the two strikers up front, Radamel Falcao and Kylian Mbappe, while the full-backs rushed on to provide the width.
Pogba may be a creator rather than a destroyer but the principle is the same. The Frenchman likes to push on, roam from his position and find space to exploit between the lines. In a midfield two, Fabinho would be well-placed to watch his back and cover for the gaps exposed by his surges forward.
However, Pogba cannot play every game, and if Mourinho is to keep him fresh he will need to be rotated. Before he was re-imagined as the hard-working attack dog of United’s midfield, Ander Herrera stood out as another possible playmaker to find runners and thread through killer balls from behind the attack.
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In a midfield two alongside Fabinho, the Spaniard could find himself granted the chance to get back to doing what he once did for Real Zaragoza and Athletic Club in La Liga as an auxiliary creator for when Pogba needs a rest or is unavailable.
Then again, in the absence of Bakayoko, if Mourinho wanted to form a more hard-wearing midfield duo to block opponents off through the middle, Fellaini or Herrera could potentially form a formidable partnership with the Brazilian in front of United’s back four.
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Alternative options at right-back
Fabinho has also played as a right-back for Monaco.
While Herrera has been transformed into a central midfielder after first arriving as a more advanced player at United, Fabinho was moved into the middle having initially impressed as a right-back.
Antonio Valencia is another footballer who has found new purpose after being redeployed from playing as a winger yet the idea that the Ecuadorian could see his place in the team challenge by the Monaco midfielder should not be dismissed.
There are different ways of playing the full-back. Matteo Darmian focuses on defending his flank. Valencia tries to get forward and go on the attack. For Daley Blind it’s all about timing and getting his delivery right. When he’s fit and in-form, Luke Shaw is pace, power and athleticism.
Fabinho scored nine penalties in Ligue 1 and the Champions League last season, and was involved in a total of 14 goals across both competitions.
Fabinho is a fairly complete footballer. Playing him at right-back would not only give United a strong all-rounder who can get up and down his side of the pitch and contribute to every phase of play but an extra pair of legs to come inside and support the midfield, despite lining up among the defenders.
It could even help Mourinho to perfect his ultra-defensive game plan that saw him effectively play with a back six versus some of his top six rivals last year, or free up Valencia to play on the wing again with Fabinho covering him at full-back.
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