Defensive Midfielder, dot dot dot: By Darren Hickey, @DHick92

Seems like more teams are pursuing the option of a defensive midfielder in front of the back 4 in recent seasons most notably Chelsea who as i recall used this strategy with Makelele during the Mourinho years. Yes of course the Central Midfield is an area where games can be won and lost and while we have not had a natural ball winning defensive midfielder at Old Trafford since Roy Keane and more recently Owen Hargreaves it is now being discussed more so this summer more than ever the need for a replacement. A Defensive holding midfield strategy was evident last season with the good form of Michael Carrick towards the end of the season who took up this new role he is now adapting to. Of course Carrick has not got the tenacity or bullish mentality to be a superb defensive midfielder but he will do a job but is it a huge issue ? 
After being outclassed by the ever green Barcelona in last seasons Champions League final everyone began to point fingers at the central midfield ( as expected) which consisted of Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs on the night. Carrick is not going to be a match winner he is a worker who will keep the ball and keep the tempo in the game while Giggs nearing 38 years of age struggled to keep up with the pace and not able to dictate the game that night as he did at Old Trafford against Chelsea on two occasions. Many were crying out for players such as Modric and Sneijder but even more fans talked about the lack of a ball winner in the center of the park which they thought was needed to get in Barca's faces. Would it of made a difference ? Is a defensive ball winning midfielder key to United's success ? The answer is No not really. 
While having a defensive midfielder is a good way to add balance in midfield to allow a more creative dynamic center midfielder to move further forward to dictate and not worry about doing the dirty work it is not a neccessity. Yann M'Villa and Danielle De Rossi are of course two outstanding candidates talked about for the defensive midfield role but you would be more worried about the need for a more attacking playmaking midfielder which United have lacked in recent seasons. As we all know David Gill has stated one more player to come in and everyone's money is on Dutch maestro Wesley Sneijder to add that spark to the United midfield which it is crying out for. 
If it was indeed a defensive midfielder let's look at the overall outlook of the team on this. Roy Keane was Manchester United's rock in the central midfield dominating opponents time and time again by his sheer presence and ball winning attitude which was pivitol to Paul Scholes venturing forward. United do not have an enthusiastic attacking midfielder to this strategy so a defensive midfielder would consist of two deep lying center midfielders which is asking for trouble. When Roy Keane left he was replaced (in shirt number also) by Spurs Michael Carrick who by no means was a ball winner but brought back the Premier League title to Old Trafford ,after 3 long seasons without it ,yet no defensive midfielder was in force ? Let's not forget this was also the season United crushed Roma 7-1 at Old Trafford.  
Eventually in 2007 Bayern Munich's defensive midfielder Owen Hargreaves was bought for 17 million pounds who straight away i tipped to be Roy Keane's replacement understandably. He was sensational in his first season winning a Premier League and Champions League double with United and was on the top of his game but faded away with injuries in recent seasons and finally was released after an injury plagued time at Old Trafford. Yet time and time again United surged on to win Premier League crowns without Hargreaves ,a defensive midfielder, and now we are drawn back to the present.  
There has been talk of new signing Phil Jones playing in the defensive midfield role for United this season but personally this is not an option that should be taken unless a injury crisis happens which i don't expect. Jones is used to playing in center back position and while he would do a job in central midfield it should not be a priority. With the classic 4-4-2 formation United play two multi tasking central midfield players are needed while Anderson and Fletcher more than capable of sticking a foot in while Michael Carrick is a superb reader of the game to cut out and interept many of the oppositions threading passes which is at times vital. 
Will we struggle with no defensive midfielder ? Obviously no we will not we have not before and we will not now. While Luka Modric or Wesley Sneijder is the more needed addition a defensive midfielder would be a bonus but we will not see it this season. Michael Carrick is more than capable of giving protection to the back four while able to see a pass before a move has materialized. Anderson is also maturing and if he adds consistency to his game he could be a regular at Old Trafford alongside whoever Sir Alex may bring in and lest we not forget the forgotten man Darren Fletcher who is an energetic box to box midfielder who still has so much to give so theres every reason to not be concerned over a defensive midfielder.  
My personal opinion is that a out and out defensive midfielder is suited to a diamond formation such as Chelsea play with Essien and Lampard the more further forward central midfielders able to get situations going for the team while Mikel can sit deep as assurance. United as it turns out do not and will not ever use this system thankfully.Having either Anderson Carrick or a fully fit Darren Fletcher alongside who we all hope does arrive at Old Trafford will be an exceptional central midfield with balance and versatility but rest assure every United fans excuse for a defeat whether it be home or away will always be that we lacked a ball winner....