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With the busy Christmas period upon us and the January transfer window just around the corner, it’s pretty clear that something has to change at Manchester United. The Red Devils are currently in 6th place in the Premier League, but they’re also a massive 8 points behind 5th place Arsenal – meaning a push for the Champions League spots isn’t going to be easy.
It looks like United are willing to stick with manager Jose Mourinho, but if they’re willing to do that, then they probably need to back him in the transfer market next month. All reports from the summer suggested Mourinho wanted to buy at least one more centre-back, but was not backed financially by Chief Executive Ed Woodward.
Results since suggest that Mourinho was probably correct, though – United have conceded 26 goals thus far, 6 more than Arsenal and a massive 20 more than Liverpool, the owners of the Premier League’s tightest defence. So who could United look to buy to bolster their back line? Well, perhaps one of these 5 players would work.
#1 Harry Maguire
United were already linked with a move for Leicester City’s Harry Maguire in the summer, but the price mooted for the England international – somewhere around £75m – clearly put the Red Devils off. That could’ve been a big mistake. To suggest Maguire wouldn’t be an upgrade on United’s current defenders would be pretty crazy given what he’s proved in the last year or so.
Maguire was one of England’s key men in the World Cup this summer – he went into the tournament with a distinct lack of international pedigree, but didn’t really put a foot wrong; he showed himself capable of playing the ball out from the back and even went on mazy runs at times, he defended doggedly and even showed himself to be a threat from set-pieces, scoring England’s opening goal against Sweden in the quarter-finals.
With a pass success rate of 86.3% in Premier League action, and an average of 1.5 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 5.1 clearances per game, Maguire’s statistics back up the fact that right now, he’s one of the world’s best centre-backs. Whether Leicester would be willing to let him go is a question mark, but if United were to make a huge bid, would the Foxes really be able to turn it down?
#2 Toby Alderweireld
Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld was apparently one of United’s targets in the summer, largely because the Tottenham man was refusing to ink a new contract in North London and thus probably would’ve been available for a cheaper fee than would usually have been possible. But United never really made a move, apparently because Ed Woodward believed that he wasn’t really an upgrade on the defenders they already had.
Well, during United’s 0-3 loss to Tottenham back in August, Alderweireld was outstanding – horrifying United fans who couldn’t understand Woodward’s perspective on things. It’s quite telling, for instance, that the Belgian has a higher average rating on WhoScored.com than any of United’s current 4 centre-backs – Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Victor Lindelof.
If current reports are to be believed, Woodward has now done a u-turn and sanctioned a £40m move for the Tottenham man, who still hasn’t signed a new deal. From a Spurs perspective it may be worth cashing in now – Alderweireld is 29 years old and although he’s a great player, taking £40m would be better than letting him walk for free – which means this is a deal that could happen next month.
#3 Kalidou Koulibaly
Another man who’s been heavily linked with United recently is Napoli’s defensive rock Kalidou Koulibaly. According to recent reports, the Red Devils are willing to part with somewhere around £100m – a world record for a defender – to bring him to Old Trafford following his outstanding display in the Champions League against Liverpool this week. So what would Koulibaly bring?
Firstly, being 6’5” and heavily built, Koulibaly fits the usual image of a Jose Mourinho favourite; the Portuguese boss has always favoured physically powerful players, and they don’t get much more powerful than the Senegal international. But he’s also an incredibly smart player, rarely finding himself caught out of position or in possession, and his passing range is outstanding.
In 15 Serie A appearances this season, Koulibaly has helped Napoli to concede just 14 goals in 15 games – an improvement on United’s 26 conceded in 16 – meaning he’d certainly help to shore up the Red Devils’ questionable defence. United have already had 2 bids turned down for the 27-year old, but if the report of a £100m bid is true, surely Napoli would have to sell.
#4 Lewis Dunk
A central defender who United perhaps wouldn’t need to break the bank for, but could still do an excellent job would be Brighton’s Lewis Dunk. The 27-year old has steadily improved over his time in the Premier League and this season has seen him make his England debut, meaning that a step up to a bigger side like the Red Devils wouldn’t be at all surprising.
What could he bring to United? Well, it’s quite telling that Dunk has been almost an ever-present in Brighton’s Premier League side this season, appearing in 15 of their 16 games. And despite currently sitting in 13th position, the Seagulls have only conceded 22 goals – 4 less than United. Dunk is also a threat from set-pieces, and has scored 2 league goals already – more than any of United’s defenders have managed.
Right now there aren’t many reports linking Dunk to United, but that could change should the Red Devils fail to stump up the money for someone like Maguire or Koulibaly. He’d be a cheaper option than most but would definitely be an upgrade on United’s current defenders – and still has the potential to grow as a player, too.
#5 Eder Militao
20-year old Brazilian defender Eder Militao – who currently plays for Porto in Portugal – is one player who has been linked heavily with United recently, and while he’s not as proven at the top level as someone like Alderweireld or Koulibaly, he clearly has a lot of potential. Thus far he’s appeared 9 times in the Portuguese league, and he’s achieved a solid 7.41 rating on WhoScored.
In terms of his playing style, Militao clearly has an excellent range of passing, likes to bring the ball out of defence and is extremely quick, but a drawback for him right now is that he’s not all that physically imposing. As he’s only 20 though he has plenty of time to pack some muscle onto his 6’1” frame to change that.
Militao would clearly be a good signing for United, but due to his inexperience they would probably be smart to attempt to bring in someone like Alderweireld to play alongside him, rather than risk him alongside someone like Chris Smalling or Phil Jones who has already struggled. But given he’d be slightly cheaper than some of the other defenders, a move could definitely be possible.
