5 midfielders who could replace Paul Pogba at Manchester United

1. Youri Tielemans

Youri Tielemans has been Leicester City's unsung hero in a successful Premier League season so far

Manchester United have been consistently linked with a move for Leicester City playmaker James Maddison after the 23-year-old’s impressive performances this season. However, with Bruno Fernandes’ acquisition in January, going for another heavily-priced attacking midfielder would be a spur-of-the-moment decision. The United hierarchy should instead be looking at his Foxes counterpart Youri Tielemans as the ideal replacement for Paul Pogba.

The Belgian midfielder has gone under-the-radar this season because of Jamie Vardy and Maddison's attacking exploits, but he has been an equally-influential player for Brendan Rodgers. Tielemans is just 22 and already has an incredible resume with successful stints at Anderlecht, Monaco and now Leicester City. He is also a regular name in Roberto Martinez’s Belgian national team squad since his eye-catching displays in the Belgian Pro League. He was named the Belgian top-flight’s Young Player of the Year twice and the Footballer of the Year once in just four senior seasons.

Tielemans is a rare talent: he can slot in at any midfield role, be it defensive, box-to-box or a number ten role behind the attackers. His vision is unparalleled, passing unique and ball-carrying ability almost unstoppable. In Brendan Rodgers’ set-up, Tielemans acts as the bridge between Wilfred Ndidi and Maddison, floats in midfield, presses, makes defence-splitting passes and also darts inside-the-box to score. At United, he could play a similar role alongside Scott McTominay or Fred and Bruno Fernandes, representing a defensive presence as well as an attacking outlet.