Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Lyon defender Joachim Andersen, who is currently on loan at Premier League side Fulham. The 24-year-old has played 25 of the 31 games for Fulham in the league this season.
As per Metro, Manchester United could battle Tottenham Hotspur in a bid to land the signature of the Danish international. Fulham are also keen on keeping the defender at Craven Cottage, but they will have to stay up in the league to have any chance of retaining his services. The report claims that Lyon want £25 million for him and a Premier League club has already enquired about his availability.
Andersen previously played for Twente and Sampdoria before making the switch to Lyon in 2019, for a fee of around €30 million. His current deal with the French side expires only in 2024.
Joachim Andersen: Decent option for the club?
Joachim Andersen has had a decent season with Fulham and has been one of the club’s best defenders this campaign. The tall centre-back is very good in the air, averaging 3.4 aerial duel wins in the current Premier League season, while also averaging 5 clearances per game. Andersen clears the ball when the need arises, but he can also bring it out of defence when he finds clear space up ahead of him.
The Dane’s best quality is his passing as he has the ability to play both short and long passes, and is composed with the ball at his feet. In a struggling Fulham side, Andersen has averaged 61.6 passes per game, completing 80.6% of all his attempts.
The central defender is also strong and bullies opposition players off the ball, be it in the air or on the ground. Andersen is a deceptively quick player, who can cover ground quickly and stop attacking situations.
Manchester United, despite spending a huge sum of money on Harry Maguire, are not the strongest at the back and have looked uncertain this season. The weak defence has forced manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to play with two defensive midfielders, which has not helped the side dominate games or have more players in the opposition’s half.
Victor Lindelof has blown hot and cold, while also being poor in the air and not quick enough against attackers with decent pace. Eric Bailly has suffered numerous injuries which haven’t allowed him to build a partnership with Maguire, while Phil Jones could be sold in the summer.
Signing Andersen could be a gamble as he is an unknown quantity while playing for a big side. He is strong, quick, and is a good passer, but may not be good enough to go straight into the first team. He could perhaps be a squad player to replace Jones or Bailly in the squad, rather than being a valuable first-team player.
The Red Devils will have to pursue a player of a higher calibre to partner Maguire if they want to compete for the league title next season.
