Fosu-Mensah's best position?

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se7en

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For those who have viewed him more than I have what is or will be his best position?
 
I can't say I'm someone who's seen heaps of him... But from what I've seen and from what I've read it's central midfield.

The fact he's versatile is great and is such a underrated asset to have but it can also be a hindrance. Just ask Jones how being so versatile has worked out for him!

For me the way he plays, his ability on the ball, the way he drives forwards but gets about the pitch it's central midfield. Yes it's premature but he could be a Pogba type figure. Box to box, getting stuck in, giving the back 4 protection but also able to get on the ball and get things going. Playing him at full back to get him experience is fine but I hope it's not a long term thing.
 
Hopefully box-to-box. I think his ability to drive forward would be wasted as a central defender. No harm him playing at right back for the moment, Roy Keane occasionally played in the position during the 94/95 season (if my memory serves me correctly).
 
Yeah personally think he'll be best served as a centre mid in the future. Read a few people saying he's a defensive midfielder, that's doing him a disservice though, seen him play as a box to box midfielder but also seen him play a more attacking midfield role. So much more than just a defensive midfielder, he's a total footballer and exactly the sort of player our midfield needs. Is he ready to play there for the first team? I'm not sure but I'd like to see more than the 3 mins we got today.
 
Yeah he's definitely more than a defensive midfielder. Schneiderlin is a defensive midfielder because his ability to influence attacks is limited whereas Fosu-Mensah can create and cause defenses problems. Maybe now he's played a few first team games he'll get more opportunities in midfield.
 
Box to box midfielder for me. He has a lot of attacking instinct and he has a decent tackle in him.
 
Interesting... I could certainly see him being that Kompany / Ferdinand player. He's good on the ball but defensively solid and strong. So yeah centre back could be a good shout for him. I still think his ability on the ball is too good to be used in defense but I'm not watching him day in and day out.
 
Fosu-Mensah could be like Schweinsteiger - Official Manchester United Website

When asked during Thursday's press conference whether Fosu-Mensah's future could be in midfield, the manager said the options are still open for the 18-year-old and recalled how he nurtured and converted a young Schweinsteiger when he was Bayern boss.

"It is dependable on vacancies in your squad," declared van Gaal. "You have seen that players in my squad are playing in different positions than what they are used to in their former careers. It is also a little bit of luck. When there is a vacancy and you think a young player has the quality to play there, you give him the chance. If he takes the chance then that makes him already mentally a good player.

"You cannot say that a player is [just] a full-back. You can see qualities and you make a profile of positions and then you look at the qualities of a player and see if he can fit that. Can he do that, can he perform that? Maybe he shall perform it and then he sticks to that position and then he is the best of all.

"You can ask Bastian Schweinsteiger who, at Bayern Munich, played on the right side, the right wing. I made him a centre midfielder because I looked at his profile and I thought that he can better play in the middle and he enjoys it more than on the right side. I have changed a lot of positions of players."

Fosu-Mensah is just one of a number of young Reds who have impressed for the senior side this term, with Marcus Rashford being the one who has grabbed the headlines with seven goals in 13 games. Van Gaal reminded us of his track record of giving chances to budding players throughout his career.

"I have had that in all my clubs because I give youngsters the chance to do that," he insisted. "My first club was AZ Alkmaar and I was trainer-coach of the second team, I then played with five players from my second team when I was first-team coach.

"At Ajax I had Patrick Kluivert, at 18, who made the same performance as Marcus Rashford. So, I can give a lot of examples of that, it is not new! At Bayern Munich it was Thomas Muller and in Barcelona Xavi was 18 and Iniesta 17. Motta was also 17 and he is now at Paris Saint Germain. It is not strange.

"The big issue is not age. It is quality."
Click to expand...
 
See I don't agree with LVG and I know that will come as a surprise to everyone!

Yes sometimes you can't decide early on in a players career where they will end up. And you need to try players in different positions to establish what works for them. Look at Keane, he started as an attacking midfield player!

But a lot of the time a player comes along with the physical attributes and the ability to play a certain position. And playing them anywhere else is a waste of that talent. To me Fosu-Mensah is one of those players.

Fine get him experience at right back... But don't wait until there's a vacancy in midfield to play him there! Because maybe there will not be one for a long time... And maybe by then he's played too long at full back. He's the kind of player our midfield is still crying out for so there is a vacancy! And if there's not then you make one. That means putting him in, in front of Carrick or Fellaini or even Schweinsteiger! That means giving him the chance before it's too late. Because that's really what we did with Jones! That lad had great potential... But even the great SAF got that one wrong. And as a result he's just not progressed as we'd all hoped.

So I hope the same won't be said one day of Fosu-Mensah. The lads got everything to be that driving force in midfield so play him there.
 
Jones lack of progress is not due him being played out of position but his inability to stay uninjured.
 
I agree that in part it's because he's not been able to stay fit but I don't think it can of helped that he was moved around. How can it not of had an effect? He never got to settle in one position and gain experience in that position.
 
Don't agree Rich i'm afraid. A lot of players learn their trade in positions they don't end up in. A lot of top strikers start as wingers (Henry, van Persie), centre mids often start out of position (Fletcher, Schweinsteiger), centre halves also often start at full back. These players were able to watch what their peers were doing and learnt.

Playing at full back, didn't affect Smalling, being injured affected Smalling, but now he's fit, he's showing what he can do.

Fosu-Mensah on playing in different positions:
"I played no.10 in pre-season and scored a goal from there as well so I was very happy! I think that experience helped me. As an attacking midfielder, you come into positions where you have to think and think as an attacking player as well. When you go back to being a defender, it helps you think how attackers think – about where they’re moving to and what they have to do before they receive the ball. So it definitely helps your game when you play in other positions."
 
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