Manchester United have lost two league games already this month, with their defeats coming at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, and it was arguably the lacklustre performance from their defensive line that made them suffer. Jose Mourinho’s defence has been stuttering at times and one should definitely expect the Portuguese to splash a substantial amount of cash to inject more resilience at the back.
Eric Bailly’s injury has been a major cause of concern for Mourinho and as a result, he has gone with the central defensive partnership of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling. However, these two have hardly met the expectations. Smalling was lucky not to have conceded a penalty after his needless tackle on Dwight Gayle and was partly at fault in Matt Ritchie’s goal, which earned the Magpies all three points.
Besides, Jones was not spectacular either and while he has shown glimpses of brilliance, consistency has been something sorely missing. There is no denying that signing Alexis Sanchez was a galvanizing move by Mourinho but probably not an important one as strengthening the backline held paramount importance. Manchester City are running away with the league title and if Manchester United are to better them next season, they must bring a quality centre-back in the summer.
As per one of the latest reports by the Metro, the red half of Manchester are believed to be desirous to sign Tottenham Hotspur centre-back, Toby Alderwiereld. ESPN had also reported earlier this month that United might strike Jones and Smalling off their books to revamp their defence. The Belgian international’s contract with the Lilywhites is due to expire in the summer of 2019 and he is yet to sign an extension with the club.
Alderweireld’s future with Spurs has started to look doubtful after his recovery from the longest injury layoff of his career. He wasn’t named on the bench for the North London Derby against Arsenal, despite declaring himself ready to play in the build-up to the game and was also left out of the side by Mauricio Pochettino for the Champions League encounter against Juventus.
His current deal has a release clause of £25million that can be activated in the summer and it would make complete sense if United strike a deal to lure him to the Old Trafford. The 28-year-old has volumes of Premier League experience under his belt and is undoubtedly one of the finest defenders in the English top flight and he could be the final piece of the puzzle in Mourinho’s system.
