There has been just one player at Manchester United who has done alright from the start of the campaign. Chris Smalling might not be the biggest name in the team but he has been the most consistent this season and has helped Manchester United do extremely well in their defence.
He might not have the greatest stats when it comes to attacking but he has been the one rock in defence that seems to be doing his job well, even if he does lose concentration from time to time. This can be fixed if he is teamed up with a better central defender than Daley Blind, who in all honesty isn’t a defender but is having to do a role for Louis van Gaal.
We provide three players who could partner Smalling next season, irrespective of whether Louis van Gaal remains at the club or not.
Miranda
What Smalling and Manchester United need more than anything else is someone with a load of experience playing at the back and the Brazilian Miranda has a ton of that. Playing in the Serie A is not the easiest task for a defender but it certainly does make them better in that aspect of the game, defending.
Miranda might be 31-years-old but he certainly could do a great job for the side if he does move to Manchester. He might be the answer to United’s defensive problems but he isn’t the quickest defender in the world and that could be an issue for him.
Aymeric Laporte
A player who could line up for any of the top sides for years to come is French defender Aymeric Laporte. The 21-year-old has been a star at Athletic Bilbao for quite some time and he does have a massive buy-out clause but that just shows what he is all about.
Strong in the air, a great passer of the ball and also has leadership qualities, the youngster is the future of the art of defending for years to come. He is an almost complete defender with barely any negatives, the only problem would be the valuation that Manchester United might have for a player whose contract clause is close to 50 million euros.
Shkodran Mustafi
His name might be tough to spell but Mustafi has done everything at least in the international field by winning the World Cup with Germany in 2014. The Valencia star is one of the best players in La Liga and moving to Manchester United might not seem so farfetched seeing that Gary Neville is the coach till the end of the season.
Neville could well take up the job at United come the end of the season and bringing Mustafi in would not be the worst move in the world. Mustafi is quick on the ball and is only 23-years-old, certainly someone who can grow alongside Smalling and keep Manchester United stable in defence for years to come.