Scouting For Moyes – Top 3 Realistic Replacements For Vidic (Manchester United)

Manchester United caption Nemanja Vidic is set to leave the club in the summer to join Italian side Inter Milan on a free transfer. Here are three possible replacements for the Serbian.

3. Nicolas Otamendi (Porto)

Porto center back Nicolas Otamendi has been linked with a possible move to Old Trafford in the summer. Otamendi has all the attributes that is typical of a South American centre-half. He enjoys stepping out of defense and playing a high line and is also physically imposing, just like the departing Nemaja Vidic.

His style though could leave gaps in defense, as he loves to try and make interceptions, and close down opposing players immediately but that is how United have always set up so it should be a problem. The added bonus is that the Argentine can be deployed at right-back also.

At the end of the season his deal with have only 12 months remaining, meaning he could be acquired fairly cheaply. However, given the fact that he plays in a supposedly weaker league, there will be question marks about his ability to take on world-class Premier League strikers.

2. Ezequiel Garay (Benfica)

Former Real Madrid defender Ezequiel Garay is another player that United are possibly looking at as a replacement for Vidic. Garay, just like his compatriot Otamendi, is a typically South American defender who’s feisty, and enjoys a physical battle which makes him well suited to the Premier League.

To add to that, Garay is also technically composed, and has the ability to carry the ball into midfield and start attacks from deep. This area has been a problem for United and signing the Argentine will help alleviate this problem.

Even though Garay isn’t outstanding in the air like Vidic, he is capable of holding his own in an aerial duel and at 27-years-old, he’s just entering his peak years. Given the fact that most Portuguese clubs are willing sellers, United should be able to get their man if they target his signature aggressively enough.

1. Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)

While this move seems the most unlikely of the lot, Borussia Dortmund center back Mats Hummels is the player that most United fans would prefer to sign in the summer. Hummels has been linked with a move to Old Trafford by the press and a move for the German would provide the perfect solution to United’s defensive problems.

Since his move from Bayern Munich, Hummels has excelled for Jurgen Klopp’s superb Dortmund team and is a fixture for the German national team as well. At 25-years-old, he is yet to reach his peak as a defender and any move for him would see United pay a hefty sum of money.

Rated as one of the best ball-playing defenders in world football, the German however is unlikely to be interested in moving to Old Trafford if United fail to qualify for the Champions League next season.