Manchester United’s current problems lay at the back, specifically in the heart of the defence as they do not currently possess a world-class centre back who can command, take control and be a leader on the pitch for the Red Devils. Manchester United have not had a successful defensive pairing since the departures of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
The centre backs that United currently have are not good enough to challenge for the title and the 20-time Premier League champions need to sign at least one world-class centre back before the start of the 2019-20 season.
Two names that have been linked with Manchester United in recent times are Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Leicester City’s Harry Maguire. A recent report by Sun has stated that Manchester United’s £85m move for Kalidou Koulibaly might still be on with the player hinting at an exit this summer. Maguire, on the other hand, could be valued at around £80 million, with United’s city rivals Manchester City closing in on the English defender, as per Mirror.
United have tracked and have been interested in signing Koulibaly since last season, but couldn’t get the deal over the line. The Senegalese international has been in phenomenal form at Napoli and has become one of the best central defenders in the world.
Maguire, meanwhile, has become one of the most promising English defenders and has become a key player even for the English national team. The 26-year-old defender has been in fine form for Leicester City and was even an important part of the English national team that reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.
Koulibaly seems like the better choice for Manchester United at the moment as he is an aggressive and quick player who can be a leader at the back as well as a player with good passing ability. The Napoli defender is an all-round player who has great attributes and can make a huge difference to the current United side.
The Senegal defender is physical and tall and can command the central defensive area and even have an influence on other defenders that he’s paired up with. He is understandably more experienced and his European pedigree is also something which will come in handy.
Maguire is good in the air and can take the ball upfield, while also being a good passer but he is still not the finished product and needs fine-tuning in a couple of areas especially in decision making. United, meanwhile, need a readymade option as they cannot afford to beat around the bush anymore with their transfers and Koulibaly will be better equipped to make an immediate impact upon his possible arrival.
Ruben Dias & Ibrahima Konaté.