Barcelona’s acquisition of Thomas Vermaelen from Arsenal means that Manchester United have been dealt another blow in their bid to snap up a central defender. The arrival of Vermaelen could’ve meant that the problem of who to play as the left-sided centre back would have been solved. Unfortunately what his move now means is that the Red Devils will have to look at other options if they are to reinforce the central defence.
Although there were plenty of positives defensively from the club’s pre-season tour of the USA, it is imperative that the club should sign at least one centre back this summer. While the number of world class central defenders in Europe at the moment isn’t too much, the problem for the club is that very few fit into their current system. Fewer still are available at the moment. Having said that, here are three defenders who can be prized away from their current club.
With the unavailability of Vermaelen, United desperately another centre back, who is comfortable on the left of a three-man central defence. If the club don’t want to spend an awful lot on that player, but still want someone with Premier League experience, they could do a lot worse than Jan Vertonghen.
Last summer, the Belgian defender claimed that he’ll quit the club if they don’t qualify for the Champions League. Now that they haven’t, there are already rumours that he wants out of the club. If so, the Red devils are in for a treat as it means that they might be able to get their hands on someone who would be a perfect fit for the left-sided centre back.
While it is true that the 26-year-old has often been deployed as a left back, the defender himself prefers to operate centrally. What this means is that his move to Old Trafford would give him the best of both worlds as he could both attack and defend. It also means that Van Gaal can kill two birds with one stone as he can even play as a left wing back and provide competition for Luke Shaw.
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World Cup winner and arguably Borussia Dortmund’s player of the season last year, Mats Hummels is someone who certainly needs no introduction. The calm and composed centre back has shown time and again as to why he is regarded as one of the best centre backs in Europe, if not the best.
In a sense, Hummels is someone who combines the best of both Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, both of whom left the club this summer. Elegant and graceful on the ball, calculative and imposing off it, Hummels is in many ways the ideal player to play in the centre of the three-man defence.
While it is true that coach Jurgen Klopp has dismissed any rumours linking his star defender to Manchester United, the simple truth is that he will be left powerless to stop the transfer if Hummels does want to make the switch from Dortmund to Manchester and United don’t mind splashing the cash.
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If Manchester United are on the lookout for an experienced centre back, who is good in the air and on the ground, can score crucial goals and make telling contributions in defence, then Roma’s Mehdi Benatia is their man. Standing at 6’3, the 27-year-old Moroccan is taller than most of the other defenders the club have been linked and will bring a considerable aerial threat in both boxes.
An integral part of the Roma defence, which was water-tight last season, Benatia is a composed campaigner, who relies on his super-human levels of concentration and his awareness of what’s around him more than he relies on pace. Not only is he adept at stopping attacks, he was one of Roma’s key players, when it came to starting attacks. Last season, he completed more passes than anyone else in the Roma defence. If there is one criticism of him, it is his pace, however, playing as the central of the three centre backs, that is unlikely to be a problem for Benatia and United.
With Roma unlikely to sell, it will take an offer in the region of around £30m to convince them to sell their prized asset. With money unlikely to be a problem, the Red Devils should simply close their and sign this experienced Moroccan centre-back.
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