Scholes gave Man Utd perfect midfield profile in 2019 - and Rangnick agrees

Manchester United's central midfield is under the spotlight - but that is nothing new.

The area has long been seen as a problem for the Red Devils with various critics believing a lack of ability in the middle of the park is holding them back.

Interim manager Ralf Rangnick would appear to agree, with a new addition in that area identified as his priority in the transfer market.

The same discussion over the likes of Scott McTominay, Fred and Nemanja Matic has been debated at length in recent years - including back in November 2019.

United beat Partizan Belgrade 3-0 and, on that occasion, Paul Scholes was full of praise for Scott McTominay for his performance.

However, he outlined the need for United to focus on finding all-around midfielders - rather than pigeon-holing players into being either defensive or attacking-minded.

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"There's a lot made of midfielders nowadays, are they a holding midfielder or an attacking midfielder which does my head in a little bit," Scholes told BT Sport.

"As a good midfielder you need to be able to do a bit of everything.

"As a central midfield player, especially at Man United, you have to be capable of doing everything.

"You have to be able to help your defence, you have to help in attack.

"It's not just about sitting and being a holding midfield player. It's not just about getting forward. You have to have a bit of everything as players I played with had."

Scholes knows exactly what it takes to be a successful central midfielder at Manchester United.

And his view that you need to "be capable of doing everything" is one seemingly shared by Rangnick as he considers his options in the transfer market.

Speaking about his midfield earlier this month, Rangnick admitted he is looking for something different and also outlined the need for all-rounders.

"It doesn't help if there is a profile missing," Rangnick said. "We need to work and want to work with the players we have.

"We have shown we are able to keep clean sheets with these players but it's also what we're doing with the ball and without the ball.

"Again, we had too many giveaways, too many turnovers in that game, this is also an issue we spoke about with the team - that we shouldn't make it too easy for the other team to be in possession of the ball especially when once we have the ball it's also about responsible decision-making, making the right decision at the right moment."

Various midfielders have been linked with United, including West Ham and England star Declan Rice, Wolves ace Ruben Neves and RB Leipzig's Amadou Haidara.

However, Rangnick recently warned against expecting much business in an "unsustainable" January market.

He said: "From my experience, winter is not the best time for sustainable transfers.

"With the quality of players we have here, it would in theory only make sense if you can get players who can guarantee you more quality. From experience, this will be difficult in the winter."