Benfica's Nelson Semedo Is Smart, Aggressive and Perfect for Manchester United

As evenings go, Tuesday night was a very, very good one for Benfica's defensive unit.

Goalkeeper Ederson Moraes saved a penalty and made a number of stunning stops as the Eagles saw off Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League round-of-16 first leg, while centre-back Luisao made his 500th appearance for the club—entering the record books in the process—and right-back Nelson Semedo put in yet another excellent showing to further strengthen the swirl of interest in his services.

Of all the storylines emanating from the win, it's the latter one that will interest Premier League fans the most—or, more specifically, Manchester United fans.

According to Portuguese outlet Noticias Ao Minuto (h/t The Sun's Anthony Chapman), Jose Mourinho is a big fan of "Nelsinho" and has agreed, in principle, a £35 million deal to bring him to Old Trafford in the summer of 2017.

That may spark some surprise in the fanbase. After all, it was only last month Mourinho said Antonio Valencia is the best right-back in the world, so why would the club drop such a large sum of money on a position it's impossible to upgrade in (in the manager's opinion)? It's not as if there aren't cavernous holes to fill in other areas—try left-back for a start.

It probably serves to highlight what we already know deep down. Mourinho doesn't appear to like Matteo Darmian that much, and the Italian could well join Luke Shaw in heading for the exit door this summer, while Valencia—who is clearly part-machine or in some way bionic—is 31 years of age and can't play every single game for that much longer.

The reported interest in Semedo, then, makes a lot of sense from a need perspective, and any fan tuning in to watch him on Tuesday against Borussia Dortmund will admit it makes sense from a talent perspective, too. Semedo, at 23 years of age, is one of the finest young full-backs in the world and may well be the best available option come June.

Back in 2015, Semedo suffered an osteochondral fracture and missed 20 games while in recovery, according to Transfermarkt. It was a cruel stroke of misfortune that chopped him (and his rapid progress) at the knee.

He returned in February 2016 but had lost his rhythm and his spot in the side, having to make do with a seat on the bench for Benfica's epic Champions League quarter-final tussle with Bayern Munich.

Credit: Sport TV

What the Eagles were robbed of while he was out were three key things: incredible energy, aggressiveness in one-on-one tackling and some of the most positive passing from a full-back you'll see in world football. Back to fitness this season, he's made a sizeable difference to their right flank in replacing Andre Almeida.

Semedo has been likened to Dani Alves due to his rumbustious, non-stop style. In a league where Benfica dominate possession in almost every game (they average 59.6 per cent per game, according to WhoScored.com), he's able to flex his legs and move up and down the flank frequently, making overlapping runs and contributing heavily to sustained periods of attacking play.

His comfort on the ball high up and knack of making the right decisions with it necessitate you close him down, but if you leave space in doing so, he'll offload, dart in behind and receive the ball in an even more dangerous area. He's superb at timing overlapping/underlapping runs and dovetails supremely well with whoever his winger is.

Credit: Sport TV

Semedo is a fair crosser—he stands the ball up very well, inviting powerful headers from his strikers—but his key strength in attack is picking out cutbacks and low balls into the box that can be swept home. In January alone, he set up two goals doing this, with Pizzi the beneficiary against Tondela and Goncalo Guedes there to slide home against Vitoria de Guimaraes.

The Portuguese replicates his attacking enthusiasm in the other two thirds, too, and one of the most impressive parts of his possession game is the positivity of his passes. Not only does he rarely lump it down the line in hope—often trying to play his way out of pressure instead, even in tight circumstances—but he fires fast passes between the lines to help Benfica move up the pitch.

If he's handed the ball by a centre-back, he'll try to work it to the striker's or right-winger's feet immediately. Benfica attack quickly out of their 4-4-2 block, utilising their quick forwards and wingers well, but this is only the case because the team move the ball from line to line with pace.

This trait of Semedo's is bound to tick key boxes on scouts' forms—we are in an age where line-breaking passes from defenders can help avoid the high press and instigate counters, and he does it 15 times a game.

Off the ball, Semedo is the epitome of aggressive—and that can be seen as both a positive and a negative. A quick and mobile player, he sticks tight to his markers and follows them up the pitch because he backs his own recovery speed.

This does, admittedly, cause Benfica some issues; he can be dragged up to 10 feet away from his zone and leave a big gap alongside his right-centre-back. When that centre-back is the ancient Luisao—which it was against BVB—this is a big problem.

Credit: Sport TV

Generally speaking, Semedo can make up the ground and block the cross or dispossess his marker in the corner, but if opponents flood the space with bodies, it's an easy overload opportunity. In addition to this, because the Portuguese is so snappy and flies to the ball without hesitation, quick passing sequences can leave him behind and out of the defensive equation.

That's really the only knock on his defensive game, as his eye for an interception is good and his tackling is fine. There are times he's a tad heavy in the challenge, but that's part and parcel with an aggressive, front-footed defender.

What's strange is that Semedo's qualities almost echo those of United left-back Shaw's; he too is an aggressive, front-footed defender who jostles for position, flies forward and sends in low balls. Mourinho's purported like for the Benfica right-back would seem to confirm Shaw's current predicament is little to do with his footballing characteristics.

As impressive a player as Semedo is, United fans would be advised not to get too excited too soon—after all, the club spent all December and January chasing Victor Lindelof only to fail to hash out a deal.

Benfica are incredibly difficult to negotiate with, and Semedo—a Lisbon-born man who has been with the club five years—will not be easy to extract.

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All statistics via WhoScored.com