Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile in action. (Getty Images)
According to Sport Witness (h/t The Sun), Manchester United are eyeing a move for Monaco wonderkid Benoit Badiashile.
Despite being just 19 years old, Badiashile has become a key player for Monaco this season, making 20 appearances in total for the Ligue 1 side. Considered as one of the top defensive prospects in Europe, the young centre-back has now featured 46 times for Monaco across all competitions.
This is, however, not the first time that Badiashile has shown a glimpse of his potential. The young Frenchman turned a few heads after impressing for the French side with his rock-solid displays last season.
A talented defender, Badiashile featured 25 times for Monaco last year that saw him start in 12 of their first 14 league games this season. Meanwhile, the report also claims that Badiashile was in Manchester United’s radar since at least May 2017, back when Jose Mourinho was the club’s manager.
Manchester United, on the other hand, have been in recent weeks linked (h/t Sun) with Napoli’s star defender Kalidou Koulibaly. The Serie A side, however, are refusing to budge on their £70million valuation of the Senegalese centre-back, putting United in a lot of pressure.
That said, the Red Devils have identified the young Badiashile as a cheaper alternative for Koulibaly, having proved his potential at such a young age at Monaco. With Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire establishing themselves as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s obvious first-choice centre-backs, it is clear that Badiashille will not be a guaranteed starter at United if they buy him.
However, back-up man Eric Bailly’s past history with injuries remain a major concern for United. They also have academy graduate Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones in their ranks but the two are clearly down the pecking order under Solskjaer.
First of all, Tuanzebe lacks big-game experience and has featured just five times in the league this season for the Red Devils while Jones has rarely made an appearance and is clearly not Solskjaer’s favourite.
Considering all this, it would be safe for United to invest their money on rising talent Badiashile. Moreover, the Frenchman suits the exact mould of young and hungry talents with which Solskjaer is building a team at Old Trafford. Hence, he would be a perfect fit at Manchester United and the club should make an attempt to land him sooner than later.
Though Manchester United have enough back-up in their side, Bailly’s injury concerns in the past could be a major setback in their pursuit of getting back to the top next season. Hence, Badiashile looks a good fit for United. Also, he is still in his teens and can develop further under Solskjaer’s guidance.
