5 Centre-Backs to Overhaul Manchester United's Ailing Defence
Manchester United supporters were acutely aware of the current weaknesses within the club's defensive ranks before last Sunday's 5-3 defeat to Leicester City, however, following that result and manner in which United seemed to collapse under pressure, it may well be time for Louis van Gaal and his staff to put together a list of defensive transfer targets.
The injuries to Phil Jones, Jonny Evans and as recently as this morning, Chris Smalling, as reported by Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail, are not helping matters, while Tyler Blackett's suspension will see Manchester United face the physical challenge of Sam Allardyce's West Ham United with just one recognised senior central defender, Marcos Rojo.
Luke Shaw looks likely to come in for his Manchester United debut at left-back whilst Rojo is expected to move into the centre, a position he occupied throughout his final season with Sporting Lisbon. His central defensive partner is still unknown with The Guardian's Jamie Jackson suggesting Van Gaal will be forced to call upon 19-year-old Paddy McNair for his senior debut.
Michael Carrick could fill in at centre-half, although he is still not quite at the required levels of match fitness despite returning to training this week, according to Chris Wheeler and Ian Ladyman of the Daily Mail.
In truth, the fact that United's problem this season is so clear and easily rectified is encouraging, rather than the numerous points last season where you could pick upon any one of five issues with the squad following a poor result.
On the other hand, the fact United's defensive weaknesses are so clear to see makes the failure to bring an experienced centre-half in during the summer all the more troubling.
In Van Gaal's defence, Tyler Blackett has repaid the faith shown in him by his new manager, putting in a string of assured performances among defensive chaos all around him. It is unfortunate that the youngster will miss the fixture with West Ham through suspension after being sent off against Leicester for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity late on.
United will have to move in the transfer market as early as January to bring in defensive reinforcements and here are five names who I feel are realistic targets who would improve United's defensive woes.
Gerard Pique
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Gerard Pique, once the future of Manchester United's defence as well as the recipient of a Louis van Gaal shove, could well be the man to give the Dutchman's team a much needed calming presence at the heart of the back four.
Pique left Manchester United for Barcelona in 2008 at just 21-years old when it became apparent he would have a better chance of first-team football at his childhood club, who were in the process of rebuilding under new manager Pep Guardiola.
Rather ironically, the stalwart defensive partnership of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, who kept Pique out of the team, suffered numerous individual injury setbacks from that point and seldom put a string of matches together over the next few seasons. Pique would have slotted straight in with ease given his promising performances when given a chance the previous season.
Pique went to Barcelona and enjoyed an era of unparalleled success partnered alongside Carles Puyol and later Javier Mascherano. However, his period at Barcelona appears to be coming to a close in a rather similar way to that of his Spanish compatriot, Cesc Fabregas.
Anthony Chapman of the Express revealed this week that Pique could return to Old Trafford and, in my opinion, the timing would be perfect for all involved. Spanish paper AS also produced a report of their own with Goal.com providing the details in English:
"Gerard Pique has struggled to assert his quality at Barcelona since Luis Enrique took over as coach this summer and Manchester United are considering bringing the centre-back back to Old Trafford in January to fill their defensive void.
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Pique is struggling to force his way back into Luis Enrique's Barcelona team with new signing Jeremy Mathieu the preferred partner to Mascherano. Given the defender's close ties with Manchester United, a return is entirely plausible.
Pique is known for his technical ability when in possession, as well as his ability to calm down the players around him. One of the more worrying characteristics of United's defensive displays this term has been the rather harum-scarum feeling among the more experienced players, while 20-year-old Blackett has been the calmest.
With United looking towards a period of rebuilding, Barcelona are in the same process. The dream-team carefully crafted by Pep Guardiola is slowly being broken up and Pique may be the next to go. The feeling I have is that Barcelona are looking for a long-term central defender to characterise a new era.
Rather like Pique did from 2008 onwards.
The club could be playing the long game with Marquinhos of Paris Saint-Germain who has been the subject of many reports, the most recent coming earlier this month from Le Parisien (h/t Sport), with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi revealing Barcelona had a bid of more than €40 million turned down this past summer.
Van Gaal is known to prefer a defender who is confident with the ball at his feet, hence why there was such interest in Mats Hummels during the summer as detailed by Miguel Delaney of ESPN.co.uk. Pique would fit the bill perfectly, and at 27-years old there is still a lot of football left in him.
Jan Vertonghen
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Another central defender who is assured in possession, as well as having natural defensive awareness, is Tottenham Hotspur's Jan Vertonghen.
The Belgian has impressed since making the move to the Premier League from Ajax in 2012, with his calm defensive style being one of the few bright points in a difficult 18 months for Spurs. The 27-year-old again has the right blend of experience and time left to perform at the highest level and could be a valuable addition to Manchester United's defence.
As United's defensive crisis reaches boiling point ahead of the January transfer window, an interesting report has emerged in the Hackney Gazette, written by Ben Pearce, suggesting that Vertonghen has informed Tottenham he will not be signing a new contract.
"I am not signing, no. We agreed not to. Why? I would prefer not to say. I still have four years left. I am happy at the club and I think they are happy with me. That’s where it ends," the defender revealed.
It is unlikely Tottenham will be forced to sell one of their star defenders with the Belgian's contract set to run for a further four years, according to the player himself, however with Tottenham's upcoming plans to move into a new stadium, the process of financial management may come into play with serious offers for players likely to be considered.
Realistically the moment to register an interest in Vertonghen was during the summer. Van Gaal made clear his desire for a left-footed central defender, with his pursuit of Thomas Vermaelen rather surprisingly leading to disappointment according to Miguel Delaney of ESPN FC.
"The centre-half had provisionally agreed to a deal with Manchester United, so the club then only had to negotiate a fee with Arsenal. It was acknowledged at Old Trafford that this would be difficult, and that the London side were not exactly joyous about the transfer, but the belief was that it could be forced through.
So Vermaelen waited. And waited ... and waited. And waited. There was a puzzling lack of movement.
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Marcos Rojo has since been signed to fill that role, while Blackett has suitably impressed, however the addition of an experienced head who would bring an element of calm to Manchester United's defence would be well received by most.
Antonio Rudiger
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Antonio Rudiger is a name unlikely to be too familiar to most, yet the 21-year-old is a player very highly rated by Manchester United, with the club even tentatively linked with a move for the German international at points last summer as detailed by Sky Sports.
Standing at 6'3", Rudiger could be the commanding presence that United's defence has desperately required. If we look back to the sheer capitulation following Leicester City's equalising goal on Sunday, there was a lack of leadership at the heart of defence.
Again it would be unfair to ask this of such a young player, but Rudiger appears capable of leading from the back. The Stuttgart defender made his international debut earlier this month, coming on as a substitute in Germany's heavy 4-2 friendly defeat to an Angel Di Maria inspired Argentina. Germany were undoubtedly poor, but in the 15 minutes Rudiger was on the pitch he was head and shoulders above the rest of his team.
Rudiger was commanding at the back and even brought the ball out of defence well before setting off on piercing runs through the middle of the pitch. It was quite the sight, and when you consider just how successful Vincent Kompany has been for Manchester City, a move for Rudiger, while very early in his career, could be perfect for Louis van Gaal.
Rudiger himself has been clear on his interest in a potential Manchester United move as reported by Sport-BILD via Sky Sports.
"Of course I am aware of the interest from Manchester United.
They are definitely one of the top clubs in Europe and they are in a league I have been dreaming of. The Premier League is very physical, intense, breath-taking and with a lot of goals.
My focus, though, remains on playing for Stuttgart. For now, I just have to try and progress as a player.
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The signature of such a young player and the subsequent need to place him in a situation of such pressure would represent a major risk for Van Gaal, however every so often there is a young player who can handle the scope of the challenge. Rudiger appears to have such a mentality given his performance on his international debut.
This move could be a slow burner and may have to wait until the summer but it is certainly an interesting option for United, especially when the player shows such a keen interest in joining the club.
According to data published by Transfermarkt.co.uk, Rudiger is under contract at Stuttgart until the summer of 2017, meaning United would have to expect a significant outlay if they were to bring the defender to Old Trafford.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos
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If ever there was a tale of not only reaching your potential but even exceeding it, then Sokratis Papastathopoulos would be the prime candidate for the lead. The Greek centre-half purchased by AC Milan in 2010 has since gone on to move to Germany, first with Werder Bremen and latterly Borussia Dortmund, where he is now a key central figure at the heart of Jurgen Klopp's defence.
Sokratis, as he is now more commonly known, is the definition of a no-nonsense centre-half. The 26-year-old is approaching the peak years of his career and is impressing all the time. In Neven Subotic's lengthy absence last season, Sokratis stepped in and forged a strong partnership with Mats Hummels, with Dortmund managing to recover from a difficult winter period and finish second to the outstanding Bayern Munich.
Sokratis' performances did not go unnoticed with Arsene Wenger trying to bring the Greek international to the Emirates late on in the transfer window following the departure of Vermaelen, as reported by Simon Jones of the Daily Mail.
While there is defensive ability within the ranks at Manchester United currently, there is a real lack of leadership and experience. Of course Van Gaal has claimed on numerous occasions that it is the experience as a human being that matters, rather than football experience, however it is difficult to lose the combined experience of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic and not lose a sizable amount of game management skills.
For example, after Leicester scored a penalty on Sunday to make the score 3-2, that would have been the perfect time for a defensive leader to just let his partners know to kill the game. It is as simple as that. The real great defences in Premier League history, Ferdinand and Vidic, Adams and Bould and Carvalho and Terry, would all have taken the necessary steps to ensure that match finished at 3-2.
Smalling and Blackett on the other hand did appear to panic, it spread to the full-backs and then into midfield and before you could blink United were giving away possession in the middle of the pitch and facing a counter attack.
Sokratis would be that leading figure, he has experience at the highest level with Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan and has the required innate defensive ability to lead players around him.
Finally, and perhaps more importantly, this is a deal that could well be a possibility in January. Given Dortmund's strength in depth in the central defensive position it is likely a strong financial offer would see the German giants consider a sale.
Of course, you have to take Champions League football into account, but, as we have seen this summer, Manchester United do still have a significant pulling power in the transfer market.
As reported by Enrico Passarella via gianlucadimarzio.com during the summer, Borussia Dortmund would look for a fee in the region of €25 million for Sokratis.
Mats Hummels
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If Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao were United's superstar signings in attack then Mats Hummels would be the defensive equivalent. The 25-year-old is arguably the best centre-half in the world and is still relatively young to have hit such heights in his position. Borussia Dortmund's captain would be the signing to leave Manchester United fans rather more excited than most other defenders.
United were linked with Hummels throughout the summer of 2014 as reported by the Daily Mail's Sean Gallagher, however a deal failed to materialise with Hummels being made the new club captain of Borussia Dortmund and United leaving it far too late to make an acceptable bid.
Hummels as a footballer is an all-round defender. He is comfortable when in possession of the ball, he is fantastic in aerial battles and, more importantly in relation to United's current needs, he is a perfect defensive leader. He marshals the Dortmund backline and ensures they keep their shape in times of panic.
His quickness is questionable, with a number of mistakes coming when Hummels loses possession in a key area and isn't quick enough to recover. However, when compared against his stronger qualities the risk is minimal. Even more so when the quickness of Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw would in all likelihood be next to him.
Jamie Jackson penned an interesting piece in the summer which suggested that Hummels is actually an admirer of Manchester United, having visited Old Trafford in 2006 to see United take on Wigan, as a gift from his father.
Hummels would slot straight into United's defensive line as the experienced player. He would be a fantastic addition and would only serve to improve the development of the younger players around him.
As Manchester United have done in attack and midfield this summer, Hummels would represent replacing talented, but perhaps unreliable footballers with truly world class, reliable ones.
Nani has real footballing ability, anybody could see that, however in his later years at Old Trafford the production simply wasn't there. Now if you look at Di Maria, there is an element of reliability; supporters expect something to happen when he is on the ball.
A similar scenario could be seen with Jonny Evans and Mats Hummels. Evans, is a talented defender with significant experience, but is nonetheless a defender prone to panicking or a mistake. You simply would not get that with Hummels.
This would in all likelihood be a very expensive deal, one which could eclipse the club record set by Rio Ferdinand's move to United in 2002 as reported by the BBC. It is unlikely there will be any movement until next summer, provided United can qualify for the Champions League. However, there is no doubts Hummels would be a truly world class upgrade in a struggling defence.
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