Manchester United must sign another centre-back if the club wants sucess
Here is who I believe United should sign in this transfer window.
Manchester United’s Premier League campaign will kick off on August 17 against Fulham. United intends to improve dramatically this year. Last season, they managed a top-10 finish and secured an FA Cup win against their bitter rivals Manchester City. Despite this success, there was still speculation within the fanbase about the future of United manager Erik ten Hag.
The club’s new owners INEOS needed to implement change quickly at the end of last season by signing new players and retaining Ten Hag. Now United have already completed two signings from Italy and France in this transfer window. The club have signed French defender Leny Yoro and Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee from Italian side Bologna. However, an injury has caused concern for United fans. Yoro has suffered a foot injury during pre-season, meaning the club must sign a new centre-back in the transfer window. Here is one player who can fix United’s defensive issues.
Current Issues in United's Defence
United did not have a consistent defence last season, as key players such as Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez suffered injuries and missed out on numerous games. This created a dramatic drop in performance. The team had to rely on an ageing Jonny Evans and an underperforming Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelöf. United lost numerous games to lower-tier sides such as A.F.C. Bournemouth and dropped out of a top-four race, to finish eighth in the league.
After the end of last season, Varane announced his departure from the Red Devils and moved to the Italian side Como 1907. Creating a hole in the defence United had to fix. United needed a player who could play a high line and could easily pass the ball from out the back. Which none of the reserve players on the bench could do effectively.
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United have been proactive in the transfer market to find a replacement player. The club forked out €62 million to sign Yoro from French club LOSC Lille. But the French defender picked up an injury against Arsenal in a pre-season friendly, seeing him out for about three months.
United now must find another defender to help partner Martinez in defence. The best option to solve this issue is for the club to buy Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich.
Why Matthijs de Ligt is the Solution
Experience, athletic ability and style of play are just three reasons why United must sign De Ligt. He is the package that United needs. The Dutch defender has already had experience working with Ten Hag when the pair were at Ajax. He also helped Ajax reach the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2018-19 season. Despite having strong performances for Ajax, his form has dropped currently at Bayern because of injuries.
So why do I think United should sign him? His two best qualities are his passing and his ability to play a high line. Exactly what is required of a defender to play at United.
In the Bundesliga last season for passing accuracy, he found a teammate 94.03 per cent of the time. He also ranked second for forward passing accuracy at 85.55 per cent.1 His style of play is what Ten Hag requires for a centre-back in his team. The United manager demands his centre-back partnership to play high and be able to pass out from the back when goalkeeper Andre Onana passes the ball from a goal kick.
I believe he could easily fit into United’s squad nicely.
Conclusion
I believe De Ligt is what United needs. His experience playing with Ten Hag gives him an advantage over other players United is looking at currently. In my opinion, he would be a great buy for United during this season. Furthermore, he would be more affordable compared to other players on the market at the moment.
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Matthijs de Ligt transfer to Man Utd: Erik ten Hag tipped him for greatness so could the move unlock true potential? - https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13163207/matthijs-de-ligt-transfer-to-man-utd-erik-ten-hag-tipped-him-for-greatness-so-could-move-unlock-true-potential#:~:text=United%20would%20represent%20another%20fresh,to%20make%20a%20big%20impact.