Manchester United: 3 Centre-Backs club Should Target

Manchester United have struggled this year from a defensive perspective as there is a clear lack of quality personnel in their centre-back department.

Victor Lindelof has progressed well to become one of the best centre-halves in the league but he has been missing a similarly quality partner throughout the course of the season.

Eric Bailly’s development has stalled drastically and he has no one else but himself to blame for the same. Phil Jones has been a liability with his constant injuries and Marcos Rojo has barely appeared for United in a stretch of games over the past couple of seasons.

Chris Smalling has been dependable, but he anyways is nowhere close to be regarded as a top-quality centre-back. For United to challenge for the top honors next season, it is of utmost importance that they sign a good centre-back who can marshal the backline with aplomb.

Lindelof has developed to become a leader of the defensive line but he could do even betterif he is partnered with a defender of similar talent or even better potential.

Here, we look at three of such players who United could target to solve a gaping hole in their team.

#3 Matthijs de Ligt

The Dutch international is probably the best up and coming central defender in European football currently and it wouldn’t be long until he looks for a move away from Ajax to secure a better future somewhere else.

Though FC Barcelona seems to be a probable destination given the wonderful relations between his current club and the Catalans, de Ligt could surely be considered as one of the prime targets by United. De Ligt is too mature for his age, and that is easily visible in his gameplay too.

He is composed on the ball, times his challenges to perfection and his sense of positioning is astute. He can pass the ball through and between the lines, leads the backline with command and has loads of experience for a 19-year-old.

He has registered 1.2 tackles and 1.3 interceptions in 25 appearances in the Eredivisie this season. De Ligt also makes 3.7 clearances on an average and can notch a goal or two somehow with his aerial prowess.

Buying him could cost United quite a sum of money, but given his age and the talent that he possesses, it would be quite an excellent transfer if Ed Woodward would be able to pull it off.

However, given how meekly United’s board has acted in the transfer window in recent times, the chances of this transfer happening seems to be less.

#2 Nikola Milenkovic

Nikola Milenkovic was scouted by Jose Mourinho during the international friendlies earlier

Nikola Milenkovic is someone whom United, specifically, Jose Mourinho has scouted earlier this season. After how terribly Woodward failed at landing a quality defender last summer, Mourinho was considering Milenkovic as a clear option for the January transfer window.

The Serbian international is strong, quick and dominant aerially, so there should not be any concerns over whether he would be able to deal with the physicality of the Premier League. However, his defensive qualities shouldn’t be ignored amidst this.

He seems to be a good reader of the game, and playing in the Serie A seems to have made him more adept and intelligent from a tactical point of view. He is a 21-year-old, but already is very smart regarding when to challenge for the ball. His physical prowess allows him to bully the forwards during set-pieces and 1v1 situations too.

Milenkovic seems to be a level-headed player too, something that could instill a sense of calmness in a usually frantic United defensive line.

He records 1.9 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 3.7 clearances in the Serie A per game this season. The lad has also scored two goals and wins 2.9 aerial duels on an average too.

Negotiating with Fiorentina should not be quite a task, and Milenkovic could be lured if offered a decent sum of money. However, United haven’t been extensively linked to him after Mourinho’s departure and hence is becomes interesting to see if they choose him as an option in the summer.

#1 Kalidou Koulibaly

Koulibaly is probably the most pursued prospect in the whole of Europe currently and deservingly so.

The Senegal international has developed to become probably the best defender in the continent in recent times and hence it is understandable that United might look to try their best to bring him to Old Trafford.

At 27 years of age, Koulibaly is at the peak of his career and this could be the best time to buy him and reap the rich rewards of his excellent abilities. He is a very astute observer of the game, and relies more on his sense of positioning and understanding of the game to get better of the opposition.

He is physically imposing, and makes it a daunting task for any adversary to get past him. The Napoli player almost covers all bases that one needs to become arguably the best player in his position in Europe.

Moreover, his composure and passing ability would help United a lot who are desperately craving for another ball-playing centre-back along with Lindelof.

Statistically speaking, he has made 1.7 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 3.8 clearances in the Serie A on an average throughout the course of this season.

He has an 88.6% passing success rate in the league this season and has also notched two assists despite having not scored a single goal throughout the course of this season.

He is prudent and reasonable, something that would propel him to lead United’s defense and thereby help the team to achieve greater success. However, Napoli would definitely make it very difficult for Ed Woodward to successfully complete this transfer anyhow.

Edited by Aaditya Narayan