Manchester United have made two signings so far this season, both young, promising talents. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James are the first two players to come to the club in manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s rebuild but they certainly won’t be the last. United are keen on adding more players with a lot of potential.
One of United’s bugbears over the last few seasons has been their defence, which hasn’t inspired confidence despite the numerous managers post the Ferguson era signing young central defenders. Harry Maguire is the big signing that the Red Devils want this summer, but the deal has been quite complicated.
The Red Devils are reportedly interested in yet another centre-back, AS Monaco’s Benoît Badiashile, who is just 18 years of age. L’Equipe are reporting that Monaco would want at least £30 million for the teenage centre-back, who made his first-team debut in the 2018-19 season. Express are reporting that Wolves and Valencia are also interested in signing Badiashile.
The youngster joined the Monaco academy in 2016 and went on to play for the second team before making his senior debut in November 2018. The 18-year-old made 24 appearances in the Monaco team in the 2018-19 season. His current contract with the French club expires in two years in 2021.
What kind of a player is he?
A left-footed player, Badiashile is confident on the ball and can pass and build attacks from the back for his side. The 6’4″ defender is also good in the air and can be very useful in both boxes, while he is also a quick player with or without the ball, and can close down opposition attackers while also intercept passes.
In Ligue 1 last year, Badiashile – in a struggling AS Monaco side – completed an average of 54.5 passes per game, with a pass completion percentage of 89.5% – which is very good for a young player, let alone a centre-back. Badiashile averaged 3.9 clearances per game in the 2018-19 Ligue 1 season and made 1.3 successful tackles per game.
Badiashile could be a good signing for Manchester United as he is a player that has the potential to be very good in the future, but it is too early to put him in the Manchester United squad. Perhaps the Red Devils could bring him in and then send him out on loan to a Premier League side to help him develop his understanding of the English game.