Toby Alderweireld
According to Daily Star, Jose Mourinho has been given the green light to sign a world-class centre-back in January with Toby Alderweireld heading the manager’s shop list.
The 29-year-old was linked with a move to Old Trafford back in the summer along with Yerry Mina and Harry Maguire as the other targets but the move to sign a new centre-back was vetoed by the Manchester United board. (h/t Daily Star).
Kalidou Koulibaly was supposed to be the top transfer target for the Red Devils in January but the Premier League giants failed with a £90million bid and they have stopped pursuing an interest in the Senegalese giant. United are clearly unwilling to spend that sort of money to strengthen their leaky defence. (h/t Daily Star)
Manchester United have endured a lacklustre start to their Premier League campaign and Jose Mourinho’s men currently sit 6th in the standings with 26 points from 16 games, 16 points behind league leaders Liverpool. The Red Devils are virtually out of the title race and a top-four finish would be an ideal result for the club.
United’s porous and vulnerable backline has come under the scrutiny several times this season for their inconsistent displays. Susceptibility at the back has been the major cause of United’s undoing this season. In fact, they have shipped goals at an alarming rate this season, having conceded 26 already, a massive difference as compared to the 28 goals that they conceded in the entire season the last term in the Premier League.
Chris Smalling has been the captain of a faltering ship at the back more often than not, with the Englishman himself letting the team down with moments of sloppiness. Eric Bailly has fallen out of favour while Victor Lindelof, who came under the scrutiny for his poor positioning earlier in the season, rose to the occasion to add solidity to the backline in recent weeks before being sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Phil Jones was a regular face at the back for United last season but he has found himself on the sidelines for long periods this season. Marcos Rojo only made his first appearance of the season last week after recovering from an injury.
As things stand, United need to add a world-class centre-back to their squad in January to boost their chances of securing a top-four finish this season. And Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld definitely fits the bill at Old Trafford.
Reports claim that Jose Mourinho is confident that United can snap up the Belgian for a measly £40million, given that he will be out of contract next summer and Spurs face the risk of losing him for nothing.
United need a defender who can hit the ground running instantly after making a move in January as they are already way behind their rivals and Alderweirld’s familiarity with the style of play prevalent in the Premier League makes him an ideal choice.
Standing at 6ft. 2 inches with a massive frame, the Belgian is more than capable of outmuscling his offensive counterparts with his physicality. He is not particularly known for his aerial ability but that should be much of a concern for United as they have Smalling and Jones to take care of that.
A centre-back with a good game-reading ability, Alderweireld has a sound positional sense and is rarely caught out of position. The 29-year-old is known for his ball-playing abilities and has a good range of passing for a centre-back. He tends to struggle at times against fast and agile opposition but his assets outweigh his liabilities as a defender.
That said, United should go all out to land the Belgian in January.