Surely a new center back is on the wish lits at Manchester United this summer, the question is who fits the bill?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer kind of let the cat out of the bag when the cameras caught him hitting up Nathan Ake about his need for a left-footed center back.
While he has alluded to his needs, we can go ahead and scratch Ake off the list as he has already been snapped up by noisy neighbors Manchester City.
So who is available that fits the bill?
In the Premier League, there are not many who are of the class United would desire.
There is Ben Chilwell, who is a left-back by trade but can play the central role too. At 23 years of age and English, he fits the profile perfectly for the new look Ole Gunnar Solskjaer United.
The problem may be the £80M price tag Leicester City have played on the defender, who will need some work to play that position week in week out.
What about Tyron Mings. The Aston Villa man is 27 and would come at a considerably lower price than Chilwell. He was perhaps one of the shining lights at Villa Park this season and definitely played a huge role in keeping them in the top flight.
There are however plenty of question marks still hanging over his ability against the very best. Who can forget that scathing assessment of his performance by Roy Keane when he failed to close down Mason Greenwood when he played United.
What about outside of the English top flight?
There is Pau Torres from La Liga’s Villarreal.
The 23-year-old has been in sensational form for the Spanish side, establishing himself as one of the first names on the team sheet for manager Javier Calleja. He played 36 games and scored two goals in what was ultimately his true breakout season in the top flight.
It is also worth noting Torres was recently clocked as the fastest defender in La Liga and at a speed of 34.9 km/hour one of the quickest of any position.
Not only would his left-footedness, but his speed could see him form the perfect partnership with Harry Maguire.
With a rumored €55M price tag he could be seen as a bargain.
Perhaps the kings of center backs is AC Milan, Maldini, Baresi, Nesta to name but a few.
So it is only apt we turn our attention to the Rossoneri’s Alessio Romagnol.
At 25 years-of-age he is already the captain of Milan and an Italian International.
Milan is undergoing a rebuild similar to that of United after falling so far from grace. They may be reluctant to part with such a prodigious talent.
However, they also need money to fund such a project and United will be one of the few who could meet their financial demands.
His perfectly timed tackles and amazing range of passing have seen him likened to Milan greats of old.
There are three other pretenders to the possible available position at the Theatre of Dreams, but all come with their problems and some serious concerns.
Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti is often referred to as the complete defender. The only problem is his fitness. The Red Devils already have Phil Jones and Eric Bailly who can’t stay fit. Another treatment table player is the last thing they need.
Dan-Axel Zagadou who plays at Bayern Munich is regarded as the heir to Umtiti’s throne in the national team. But at 21 the thinking is that he is no different to some of the youth players coming up through the ranks at United already.
Of course, every United fan loves Presnel Kimpembe. The man who gave United that last-minute penalty to knock out PSG from the Champions League.
There is no donut about Kimpembe’s ability as he has forced his way into Thomas Tuchel’s starting line up, forcing the like of Thiago Silva to leave the club.
The problem with the young Frenchman is his attitude, which Tuchel has scorned in public already. Solskjaer worked too hard to fix that kind of problem at the club and will not want to introduce a potential hazard himself.
So who will it be?
United and Solskjaer realistically need another center-back if they are to challenge for the title and at least be competitive in the Champions League next season, don’t they?
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