One of the brightest but at times obscure stars for the USMNT over the years has been Tyler Adams. In the 2022 World Cup he nearly single handedly shut down the England midfield in an understated but huge 0-0 result for the team. His performance has seen him become a key starter for RB Leipzig, Leeds, and now Bournemouth in holding down the defensive midfield for his clubs. He also scored a brilliant goal to win Goal of the Month in the Premier League for November.
Ahead of facing Manchester United on Monday, Adams had been linked with the club for a potential transfer with the fee reaching upwards of $50 million. It seems that will not be an option now following Adams’ injury against the Red Devils on Monday.
The midfielder came off with a potential MCL injury after just two minutes, his absence was apparent as the match descended into a 4-4 slug fest with Bournemouth needing an 84th minute goal to pull a point from the contest.
While he will be missed by Bournemouth, his absence highlights the need for depth in defensive midfield. Quite simply, there isn’t a player that has stepped up in that role when Adams has been unavailable for the USMNT. A promising option has been Johnny Cardoso, but he has just 249 minutes this season for Atletico Madrid. That said, Aiden Morris has stepped up and is developing in the role, Cristian Roldan can play in the spot but is at a different level than Adams, and James Sands is a key player for Bundesliga side St. Pauli.
The extent of Adams’ injury is yet to be seen, but an MCL injury can take months to recover from. That may see him miss the upcoming March friendlies while he rehabs the injury and hopes to return to Bournemouth for the end of the Premier League campaign. It will also give Mauricio Pochettino time to evaluate who can most effectively step in for Adams if needed when the World Cup rolls around.
