Manchester United Transfer News: Roy Keane Slams Defence, Demands New Signings

Never a man to mince his words, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has criticised the Red Devils' defence in the wake of their 2-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven, and called on manager Louis van Gaal to add two new faces to their rearguard.

Keane was speaking on ITV (h/t Dan Ripley of the MailOnline) about United’s loss in their Champions League opener and insisted an injection of quality is needed in the centre-back positions:

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Defensively I still think United are all over the place. The money United have invested, going forward they will be fine and in midfield they are not too bad, but I think they are crying out for centre-halves, definitely one, possibly two.

As long as Blind and even Smalling, I'm not sure about him, or either Jones are playing centre-half, particular in the Champions League against bigger teams [they will struggle]. It was a poor result, poor performance and giving away bad goals.

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Some promising early season showings from Chris Smalling and Daley Blind—usually deployed in midfield—seemed to vindicate Van Gaal in his decision not to go out and sign a new central defender. But the squad is thinly spread in this area and the long-term injury suffered by Luke Shaw has left the Red Devils looking a little short all of a sudden.

Adam Crafton of the Daily Mail assessed United’s defensive options, of which there are now very few fit and available:

Even if Shaw was fit, there are plenty who would have been expecting United to make moves in the transfer window to add to their defensive options. After all, the club did sell Jonny Evans to West Bromwich Albion and while he was not a regular starter last season, it reduces the depth available to Van Gaal at the back.

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Smalling has improved and started the season well, while, in Blind, he looked to have a steady, vocal partner. But as Keane notes, it’s not really a pairing that’s going to serve the Red Devils well when going up against the very best teams around.

Indeed, as noted by sports journalist Graham Ruthven, the central-defensive partnership could be reshuffled anyway as a result of Shaw’s double fracture:

Keeping David De Gea at the club will be a massive boost for United fans, as his remarkable goalkeeping often bailed the defence out of trouble in Van Gaal’s first season at the club.

If the Red Devils are to keep the opposition out for long spells this season, the Spaniard, you suspect, will have to be at his very best once again.

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But as noted by OptaJoe, even De Gea has found it difficult to haul the Red Devils to clean sheets when he’s been in the team of late:

It’s going to be intriguing to see how Van Gaal restructures the defence going forward. Shaw is the only natural left-back in the squad and although Blind is capable in that position—he shifted over after his team-mate’s injury on Tuesday—the Netherlands international and Smalling seem United’s best bet at centre-back at the moment.

Marcos Rojo to left-back would surely be the logical move given he’s regularly played in that role for Argentina.

But the fact remains Van Gaal, after another summer of significant spending, has found himself with an imbalanced squad, and the added pressures of European football are already revealing its frailties in earnest.