Who Is This £28m Defender That Man United And City Are Fighting Over For? Everything You Need To Know About

Scout Report – Clement Lenglet

Sevilla central defender Clement Lenglet is reportedly being targeted by Manchester United and Manchester City as both clubs are aiming to strengthen their squad in the upcoming January transfer window. Reportedly priced at £28million, Lenglet is regarded as an unacclaimed young talent at the Spanish club. He is versatile and can prove to be a valuable addition to any club.

Injuries to key players can prove to be detrimental to a side’s success without sufficient back-up and since Lenglet is so adept at playing in a number of positions, he does seem like a worthy target for both Manchester clubs. Let’s take a closer look at his profile.

History

Born in 1995 in Beauvais, France, Lenglet spent major chunks of his youth career at AMS Montchevreuil and US Chantilly before making the switch to Ligue 2 side Nancy in 2010. He gradually made his way through the ranks and made his debut for the first-team in 2013, without being largely used after that. However, in the first half of the 2016/17 campaign, Lenglet made 18 appearances for the French side. It was only in January this year that he chose to join Sevilla, where his contract runs until 2021.

The youngster has helped Sevilla in strengthening themselves at the back and they have been performing quite well with his influence. As far as his international career is concerned, Lenglet has made a series of appearances for France from the U16 level to U21 level.

Playing Style

Standing at a little over 6 feet, Lenglet is physically strong and can bring about a sense of composure to the squad. The player is also quite speedy, which often aids his team while attacking. Although he is a centre-back, Lenglet can also be a solid player left-back and can read the game equally well from both positions. Although the player is known to commit fouls often, he is a constant threat when it comes to indirect set-pieces. The youngster loves tackling and is adept at dribbling. Known to put in some neat crosses as well, Lenget can be quite dominant when it comes to aerial challenges too.

Lenglet’s Future

Manchester United signed Victor Lindelof over the summer and the player is slowly finding his rhythm at Old Trafford. However, injuries to Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo have depleted Jose Mourinho’s squad depth in that area, and so making a move for Lenglet does seem justifiable.

City, on the other hand, did not sign a centre-back in the summer but they could most certainly require some extra support at the back. More than half the season is still ahead of us, and injuries and fitness concerns can prove to be a real dampener. Hence, having a player as versatile as Lenglet can certainly be reassuring.

With both clubs having varying needs that can be fulfilled by Lenglet, it will be interesting to see where the player ends up in January.