Ever since Roy Keane left and Paul Scholes retired, Manchester United have severely struggled to fill the void in midfield. Moyes and van Gaal both failed to bring in suitable replacements. The Dutch did bring Ander Herrera, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger to address the situation, it hasn’t really worked out well. With Michael Carrick most probably set to leave the club in the summer, we need a midfield general who can both control the tempo of the game but also contribute with the odd goal every now and then. Here are the 3 such players the club could look to sign:

1. Luka Modric

The 30 year old midfielder is at the peak of his powers, and has been the heart of Real Madrid for a couple of seasons now. Squawka says that in the Spanish La Liga, he has scored two goals this season, creating 61 chances and four assists. The Croatian also has completed 1954 passes this season with a pass accuracy of 91%, of which 71% were forward passes. Paul Scholes himself has asked Ed Woodward to bring the pass master to Old Trafford, and although that would involve a huge amount of money, the move is likely to pay dividends. Having already plied his trade with Tottenham Hotspurs before, he would have no problem to settle in England, having already won everything with the Los Galacticos.

2. Paul Pogba

The 23 year old midfielder is the prodigal son of United, who was sold by Fergie to Juventus in 2012 on accounts of misbehavior on the field. He has shown his class in Turin, though, and Squawka says that in the Italian Serie A, he has scored eight goals this season, creating 53 chances and 12 assists. The Frenchman has also completed 1398 passes this season with a pass accuracy of 83%, of which 71% were forward passes. He is easily one of the most highly rated youngsters in the game, and United will have to outbid Barcelona if they want to regain his services. With his skill, composure, ability and goalscoring nac, he will be a real asset to the club for years to come.

3. N’Golo Kante

The 25 year old midfielder has been one of the best players in the Premier League this season, and was an integral part of the Leicester City side that had an unlikely league triumph a few weeks back. According to Squawka, in the Barclays Premier League, he has scored one goal this season, creating 30 chances and four assists. The Frenchman has completed 1180 passes this season with a pass accuracy of 82%, of which 77% were forward passes. Ofcourse, he may turn out to be a one season wonder and Arsenal maybe where he wants to end up personally, but with the correct amount, the Red Devils could lure him home where he is likely to excel in that pivot role.

Note: stats taken from Squawka.com