Manchester United are in disarray at the moment, with the club sinking after a brief moment of glory after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was signed as Manchester United’s interim manager. But the tail end of the season has been miserable and highlighted the need for a complete overhaul of the Red Devils’ squad. The Norwegian manager needs quality players all over the pitch, with the heart of the defence being a key area that has been rather worrisome for United fans.
The club currently have five centre-backs in the senior team – Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly, Marcos Rojo, and Victor Lindelof, but none of them have inspired confidence or shown that they belong in a Manchester United shirt, with Lindelof the only one among the five who has shown that he may have a long-term future at the club. With United needing one or more centre-backs, let’s take a look at 3 centre-backs that they should target:
Harry Maguire
Probably the safest choice considering he knows the Premier League and has been impressive for Leicester City and England over the last two years, Harry Maguire has been linked with a move to Manchester United since the start of the 2018-19 season. United reportedly baulked at Leicester’s £75 million price tag for the England international. But recent reports have indicated that they may have reignited their interest in signing him, and are ready to break their own transfer record to sign him.
Strong in the air and with the ball at his feet, Maguire has been a key player for Leicester and England over the last year or so, and the 26-year-old is clearly destined for bigger things.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Kalidou Koulibaly is another name that was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United last summer, but this too did not materialise. The 27-year-old Senegalese international is a quick and strong player who is a great tackler of the ball, has good positional sense and is a fantastic passer of the ball as well. Koulibaly is ready-made for the Premier League and could fit well in the Manchester United side.
He may be available for around £90 million, despite having a release clause of €150 million.
Matthijs de Ligt
The latest player to be targeted by Manchester United, as well as some of the biggest clubs in the world, is Ajax starlet and captain, Matthijs de Ligt. The 19-year-old has had a phenomenal season with Ajax, where he helped the club reach the semi-finals before being knocked out by Tottenham. A great passer of the ball, de Ligt is a quick player that has strength and technique in abundance.
de Ligt has the talent to be one of the greats and Manchester United would do very well to convince him to sign for them after not qualifying for the Champions League.