Why Manchester United must go all out for Real Sociedad defender Alvaro Odriozola
Manchester United are the latest club to harbour an interest in Real Sociedad defender Alvaro Odriozola and if reports are to be believed, the Red Devils will prioritise making a move for him in the upcoming summer window. It is no secret that Jose Mourinho is in dire need of bolstering his defensive forces especially when it comes to full-back area and Odriozola has emerged as their latest target.
Upon close inspection, the young right-back does seem like a player worth signing and United most certainly need a new right-back.
Mourinho has resorted to using wingers Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia as his full-backs and quite surprisingly enough, the duo has played quite impressively for the club so far. However, both of them are on the wrong side of 30 and while Mourinho has the solid Luke Shaw for the role of a left-back, he does not have anybody besides Valencia and Matteo Darmian to play the as the right-back.
Even with Darmian in the squad, Mourinho has often deployed other centre-backs in Valencia’s absence and several reports have indicated that the Italian might exit Old Trafford this summer. If that were to happen, the Portuguese manager will be left with just Valencia and that is a less-than-ideal situation for a club that is hoping to put up a strong title challenge next season. Hence, it makes sense for United to make a move for the young Odriozola.
Having graduated from the Real Sociedad youth academy, Odriozola has made quite a name for himself. He rapidly rose through the ranks and established himself as a solid force to reckon with, which eventually earned him a promotion to the first-team.
Since then, there has been no looking back for the promising defender, who has become one of the regular names on Sociedad’s team sheet. Much like a modern-day full-back, Odriozola can defend and attack with equal gusto, thus making him a player suitable to Mourinho’s expectations.
Hence, given a choice, United must do everything they can to acquire his services. Compared to other right-backs in the market, the club can land him at a relatively cheaper rate and that will prove to be an ideal situation for them since they will need to spend money to strengthen other areas as well.
That said, they will face competition from other top clubs vying for his signature and they must move quickly if they are to land him. So this is a deal United must most definitely pursue in the summer.