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Forget Buying – Three Reasons Why Manchester United Should Hold On To This 27-year Old

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Matteo Darmian has been a bit of a forgotten man at Old Trafford these days. Having been signed by Louis Van Gaal in the 2014-15 season, the Italian looked the part in his early days with United. But with time, he has been relegated to a role of a squad player.

The emergence of Antonio Valencia as the first-choice at right-back, combined with poor form and injury records have meant Darmian has hardly featured for United under Jose Mourinho. Even when he has played, it’s on the opposite flank, as a left-back and has looked slightly suspect out there.

With reports emerging that United are looking to offload Darmian, here we present three reasons why he should not be sold by the Red Devils:

Able back-up for Valencia

Antonio Valencia, without question, has been one of the most consistent performers for Manchester United this term. In a faltering season, the Ecuadorian has been one of the few positives with his marauding runs down the right-hand side having provided a great outlet for United’s attack. What has been heartening to see is the improvement in the defensive side of the game, which has helped him in establishing himself as the first-choice.

However, Valencia cannot play every game for United. He will need rest every now and then and injuries might also play a spoilsport. Timothy Fosu-Mensah is the only natural defender available in United’s squad, that could fill in for Valencia apart from Matteo Darmian. The Red Devils are involved in four competitions at this point and with a clear lack of depth at right-back, it becomes imperative that they hold on to Darmian if they are to progress further in all competitions.

Lack of quality right-backs

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There are very few right-backs out there who can play at the level required for Manchester United and it becomes much harder to find a decent player in the January transfer window, with most clubs unwilling to part with their players and even if they do, they will at a steeper price.

In Darmian, United have a top-class right-back, an international player with his best years ahead of him. He has had an up and down time of late at Old Trafford, but with a regular run in games, he could very well become the player that United had hoped for when they signed him from Torino. All he needs at this time is a show of confidence from the manager and things could change soon.

Versatility

Matteo Darmian, while offering cover for Valencia at right-back, can also be used as a left-back, which Mourinho has done in the past few weeks. With Luke Shaw struggling for fitness and Marcos Rojo filling in at centre-back, Mourinho is left with only Daley Blind, meaning United are thinly equipped on the left side of the defence as well.

Darmian, despite having had some troubles against pacy wingers, like Yannick Bolasie last week against Everton, he is still one of the better fullbacks out there. He might be caught out for pace, but his defensive game is quite solid and with his ability to play on either flank, United will need to keep him.