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Why Man City’s £47.5m signing is the one to turn Man United into title contenders next season

John Stones

Why Manchester City’s John Stones Is The Man To Turn Manchester United Into Title Contenders Next Season

Jose Mourinho has seen his second spell at Manchester United not go according to the scripts he would have written ahead of the start of the season. While there has been a considerable improvement this season, United are yet to win a trophy but find themselves with a chance to lift the FA Cup when they face Chelsea in the final in May.

An excellent start to the campaign had many dreaming about the Premier League but things didn’t quite turn out to be so straightforward as Manchester City raced away to clinch the title this season.

Despite starting so well, one of the reasons that led to United’s downfall this season is chaotic and soft defending. Arguably the club’s best defender, Eric Bailly spent close to four months on the sidelines after undergoing an ankle surgery, while Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones have constantly found themselves on the treatment table.

Victor Lindelof was signed at the start of the season from Benfica but the Swede has endured a tough start to life at Old Trafford and is yet to fully find his feet. That has left United with Chris Smalling, the only fit central defender but on the flipside, his performances have been error-strewn and indecisive on a number of occasions this campaign.

 

Jose Mourinho

All this clearly states one thing – Mourinho needs a reliable centre-half in the summer to compete for the title next season and give his team a chance to fight in the European competition as well.

In my opinion, United must go all out to sign John Stones, who will be allowed to leave Man City at the end of the season, according to the Sun.

First and foremost, the biggest barrier will be for United is to sign Stones from their direct rivals. Why would City sell one of their promising centre-backs to no other club but United? It is practical that Pep Guardiola just won’t allow Mourinho to strengthen his side to challenge for the title next season.

However, there are few chances of a deal for Stones going through and Mourinho must make an audacious bid in the summer transfer window to test City’s resolve. Stones, who was signed by Man City for £47.5m, finds himself way down the pecking order. While he has not performed well since the start of 2018, injuries have not helped his cause either.

However, the matter of fact is that Stones will find it difficult to get back into the first-team next season, following his erratic and lackadaisical performances since returning from a hamstring injury in January.

Mourinho needs to find a player to partner the reliable Eric Bailly from next season and Stones fits the bill perfectly. He is composed and is an excellent reader of the game. Physically imposing and magnificent with the ball at his feet, Stones would be the ideal defender to partner Bailly at United. At 23, he is the real deal but his development has stagnated at City this term.

Should City decide to sell Stones in the summer, Mourinho must make it a point to go for the defender. Chances are very slim of a deal happening but miracles do happen in football, don’t they?

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