So if he ' s better further forward then he ' s not the ultimate box to box . He wasn ' t that in the slightest . He was a poor tackler and his range of passing wasn ' t actually that good . He also tired a LOT in games where he played more centrally . I ' m talking about when he ' s played as part of a 2 in midfield . He didn ' t have the natural skills for that at all and he actually often gave the ball away or would take wasteful long shots from miles out . I know people only tend to remember the 1 that goes in but as a central player , he wasn ' t that effective . He either required a much more disciplined , defensive minded player alongside him or needed to play in a more advanced role . For me , he was a fantastic advanced midfielder but not world class in other roles .