With Manchester United undergoing a transition period under Jose Mourinho, there will be scrutiny in looking at every position coming into the summer. One position, and two players, in which appear to have gone stale are Phil Jones and Chris Smalling.
The region of centre back has been a hot topic of debate this season, with fans preaching that the two England internationals are not good enough to be starting. A fair assessment, given some of the routine mistakes they make.
Mourinho brought in Eric Bailly from Villarreal last summer, who has excelled but unfortunately had to leave for a month for the African Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast. That departure has halted his progress and he has not reached the same form as he did in his first few months as a United player.
The Portuguese boss has shown to be ruthless, with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay, three of Louis Van Gaal’s signings, all moved on - freeing up £340,000 per week in wages. Wayne Rooney also looks set to be leaving Old Trafford this season.
There has been a number of calamities in defence for the Red Devils this season, with Smalling the main cause. On the other hand, the problem that fans have with Jones is that he cannot sustain a period of time without being injured.
And just like clockwork, Jones was sent home from the England camp in Germany this week due to injury - suspected to have been caused by Smalling - and will face up to a month on the sidelines.
Here are five replacements for either centre back - or even both:
#1 Jose Gimenez – Atletico Madrid
The Atletico Madrid central defender has been routinely scouted by many of the European heavyweights for a number of years now. At 22-years-old, the Uruguayan international has become a mainstay in the heart of Diego Simeone’s team through their successes over the past few years.
This season, Gimenez has been involved in 13 clean sheets from a possible 19 matches. For any defender in the world, that is an outstanding record. Although Manchester United could do with an experienced centre back, playing 80 times since the 2014 World Cup is no small achievement.
Gimenez would bring exuberance and skill to the position at Manchester United, with Mourinho liking ball-playing central defenders. He has also shown that he can be a threat in the air and can cover the ground quickly.
Estimated fee: £40m (£58.7m buy-out clause)
#2 Victor Lindelof – Benfica
Another young centre-back and, like Gimenez, full of huge promise. Lindelof is currently playing his football in Portugal, with Benfica, and was on the verge of joining the Red Devils last January, but Mourinho saw an uptake in Marcos Rojo’s performances and vetoed the deal.
That is not to say that a deal cannot be struck in the summer - a better time to bring in a foreign player who has never played in England before. Lindelof has played more than double the amount of games (43) of Gimenez in the last year, including the European Championships with Sweden.
The most impressive attribute that the 22-year-old possesses is that, unlike Eric Bailly, he stays on his feet and does not dive into challenges. And a balance in defending style is crucial to any defence in the world.
Estimated fee: £40m (£50m buy-out clause)
#3 Virgil van Dijk – Southampton
A more experienced defender in Van Dijk could well be what Manchester United need going into next season. Their frailties have been in defence and could do with a natural leader to calm things down.
While having youth in the defence is paramount for the future, Mourinho will also have one eye on making sure their is a ‘captain’ in defence.
The advantage of having Van Dijk in the squad is that there should not be an ‘adjusting period’. The Southampton central defender knows the Premier League inside out, and can come in all guns blazing.
Estimated fee: £30m
#4 Konstantinos Manolas – AS Roma
The Greek centre-back has taken Italian football by storm since moving from Olympiacos to AS Roma two-and-a-half years ago.
In 37 appearances, Manolas has 14 clean sheets to his name, which is a very good return rate. Of course, there are three other defenders to help and hinder Manolas, but the stat shows that he is the leader of a very structured and organised defence.
A strength of Manolas is that he is a fabulous ball-playing centre-back, something Manchester United desperately need in the heart of their defence. With Manolas and Bailly in defence, the height of the two centre back’s at United will be 6’2” and 6’1” – a very formidable and daunting presence.
The only liability that the Greek defender possesses is that he is reprimanded on a regular basis. This season, Manolas has 10 yellow cards in 37 appearances.
Estimated fee: £45m
#5 Axel Tuanzebe (Youth Academy)
Perhaps an unknown entity, but Axel Tuanzebe, currently part of the Manchester United youth system, is one to watch with a close eye. The English defender is going to be the future of the Red Devils’ defence, but there is a plausible case to start introducing him to first-team football.
Paul McGuiness, former United youth coach, said, “It was the first time I'd picked a first year scholar as captain. I don't think that has happened since Gary Neville was youth-team skipper. Axel did a very good job - on and off the field.”
The attribute of Tuanzebe that immediately stands out is his reading of the game. In his game, the England U20 central defender barely goes to ground as he is normally one step ahead of the attacker.
Tuanzebe is the future, but it might be worth the gamble to let him go on a run in the first-team. He has the confidence and most definitely has the talent.
