The defensive downfall of Manchester United

Reports claimed that former manager Ferguson had a deal in place to bring Benfica defender Ezequiel Garay in, but Moyes instead decided to stick with what he already had at the club.

Whether he will do the same in the next transfer window is unclear, but one thing that is certain is that the new man in the Old Trafford dugout will need to resolve United’s recent defensive downfall in order for Manchester United to continue as an efficacious force in English football.

It’s not just in the centre of the defence where United may look to make wholesale changes in the near future, the left back position has also recently become a minor talking point.

Since arriving from AS Monaco during the January transfer window of the 2005/06 season Patrice Evra has cemented himself as the first choice left back at Old Trafford.

He got off to a shaky start to his career, but the Frenchman soon found his feet in the red shirt of Manchester. Evra has made 249 appearances for United, scoring six goals in that time and has won 15 major trophies.

He has always been a star performer for United and has given his all for the club, but recently he hinted that this could be his final season on the Old Trafford flanks.

This season, the French defender has made 12 appearances, making three assists. He has helped keep only two clean sheets and made 62 defensive clearances. Surprisingly, the full back has created the most chances for United (11) including ten from open play.

Pursuits of Everton defender Leighton Baines were made very public during the summer, but United failed in their attempts to land the England full back. Apart from this, reports claimed that United were unsuccessful in a last ditch loan bid for Real Madrid left back, Fabio Coentrao.

Leighton Baines has been on United’s radar

These transfer pursuits indicate Moyes’s ambition to strengthen in the left back position and may have made Evra question his role at the club.

United do have options other than just Evra. Young Brazilian defender Fabio Da Silva was on loan at Queens Park Rangers all of last season and has now returned to Old Trafford. Although he has yet to make a real impact in the first team, a complete contrast to his twin brother Rafael.

Fabio recently played and scored in United’s 4-0 home win over Norwich City in the Capital One Cup. His celebration after the goal and a message which he then posted on his Instagram account has led fans to believe that the young Brazilian may also be on his way out of the club.

The message he posted read, “Thank you for the fans! This club change my life and life of my family.”

Another bid for Baines could plausibly be on the cards for United in January before the summer when he will then be heading to the World Cup in Brazil with the England squad.

With the apparent problems at the heart of the defence for Manchester United, David Moyes will be hoping to resolve matters sooner rather than later as they look to climb their way up the Premier League table and make an impact in the Champions League.

This article was written by Lee Gormley. You can follow him on twitter @LeeGormley.