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Despite their recent upturn in form under Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Manchester United are still having a fairly mediocre season. They currently sit 4th in the Premier League, but only a point off 6th. They have the worst goal difference in the top 4 with +17, and the most goals conceded in the top 4 with 35.
This shows an obvious weakness at the back, which will surely need addressing in the summer. With the exception of Victor Lindelöf, United probably need to replace their entire back four.
Ashley Young is 33, and not a natural right back. None of Chris Smalling, Phil Jones or Eric Bailly have shown they can be good enough consistently to partner Lindelöf long term.
After losing 2-0 at home to PSG, United will likely face an early round of 16 exit in Europe as well. Against PSG, United often looked outclassed in midfield, failing to create clear chances, keep possession, or protect their vulnerable defence.
Matić is rapidly ageing and declining, and Pogba is the only midfielder at the club of notable ability. With such glaring holes in the squad, the Glazer family will likely have to spend big this summer.
Here's a look at three players they could target this summer:
#1 Kalidou Koulibaly
A long-standing target for Manchester United, Koulibaly is tall, strong and athletic. He's also an incredibly composed ball player, averaging 72 passes per game at a 88% success rate.
After a plethora of sub-par centre backs, Koulibaly would add the much-needed quality at the heart of defence. With Koulibaly in the side, Napoli have kept 13 clean sheets in 23 games, conceding just 14 goals in those 23 games at a ratio of 0.61 per game.
After receiving a torrent of racial abuse while playing against Inter Milan, Koulibaly may be more open to a move than in previous seasons. But United would have to part with a monstrous £95m, to sign the Senegalese international according to reports (Metro).
#2 Tanguy Ndombélé
With Nemanja Matić turning 31 this year, and already showing signs of slowing down with an inconsistent season, United need a long term option at defensive midfield. Lyon midfielder Ndombélé is potentially ready to step straight in, already outperforming Matić in several key areas.
Ndombélé has a higher pass completion at 88.7%, while averaging 1.1 key passes per game. While close, Matić only has an 87.5% pass completion and a fairly poor 0.6 key passes per game.
As a result, it's not surprising Ndombélé has 4 league assists, to Matić's 0. Ndombélé already seems to be the more composed of the two players, being the better ballplayer and linking defence and attack more effectively.
While Ndombélé is certainly no slouch defensively, completing more tackles per game with 2.1 per game to Matić's 1.7, he still has a lot of room for improvement in the defensive department. Matić comfortably outperforms the Frenchman in several other defensive areas.
Matić makes 1.2 interceptions to Ndombélé's mere 0.6. Ndombélé alarmingly only makes 0.3 clearances to Matić's far superior 2. Matić also makes twice as many blocks with 0.6 to the Frenchman's 0.3.
This is likely due to Matić playing a more defensive role, but perhaps also suggests Ndombélé lacks the experience to read the game as well as Matić. However, this is to be expected with Ndombélé being 8 years the Serbian's junior.
The optimal solution would be to bed Ndombélé in slowly while he adapts, initially deputising for Matić before taking over long term.
#3 Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Ashley Young is 33 and not a natural right back, while Antonio Valencia is seemingly in exile, having barely featured this season. Manchester United are sorely lacking options on the right side of defence, with only a young Diogo Dalot a natural choice in that role.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has had a breakout year for Crystal Palace, making 25 Premier League appearances out of a possible 27. He has established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet, at just 21 years of age.
Wan-Bissaka puts up very competent defensive numbers, with a monstrous 3.8 tackles per game. Despite making so many tackles though, he only commits 0.7 fouls per game, showing extreme maturity and discipline for his age. He also makes an impressive 2.4 interceptions per game, showing a good ability to read the game.
Where Wan-Bissaka is perhaps a bit lacking, is in going forward - with only a single assist, and an average of 0.4 crosses per game. That said, this could be put down to the fact that he plays for a fairly poor team.
Crystal Palace often play on the counter, meaning Wan-Bissaka has to stay back instead of pushing forward. This also helps explain his low pass completion of just 72.6%, with Palace often looking to play long balls forward.
However, playing for a better team would likely improve these stats. With a higher calibre of teammates, and a more attacking team philosophy, Wan-Bissaka can contribute a lot more.
