Manchester United transfer news: Carlos Baleba interest highlights midfield need

Firstly, the non-negotiables.

Amorim’s system involves two deeper midfield players, wing-backs who push high up the pitch, two inside forwards and a striker.

It is assumed Sesko will be the striker, with Matheus Cunha playing behind him on the left and Bryan Mbeumo on the right.

That would mean skipper Bruno Fernandes taking on one of the deeper midfield roles.

Now, Fernandes is many things but a box-to-box midfielder is not one of them.

Fernandes likes to roam. He likes to get on the ball. He likes to find pockets of space to take a pass.

But the 30-year-old Portugal international is not someone you would rely on being alert to danger. He is not someone who is going to make a 10-yard run in anticipation of closing down space.

This seems to be a problem even if it was something Amorim dismissed when I asked him on the specific point about his midfield in Chicago a couple of weeks ago.

“Bruno runs a lot,” he said. “Maybe in the sprint he’s a different player, but he runs a lot. He has a lot of endurance. He’s smart. So it’s not about that. Bruno’s physicality is not the concern. He’s ready for the physicality, playing deep or as a midfielder.”

If that was accurate, why would United be making discreet inquiries on Baleba?

After all, the Brighton player is very much a box-to-box midfielder, someone with energy and endurance, who can tackle and pass. More pertinently, he is precisely the kind of player Amorim does not have in his squad.