Jan Vertonghen (Getty Images)
Former Tottenham star Jermaine Jenas has urged Manchester United to make a move for Belgium veteran Jan Vertonghen in the summer, as per the Mirror.
Vertonghen, 33, rose through the youth ranks of Ajax and after winning several awards with the club’s senior set-up, he was signed by Tottenham in the summer of 2012. He went to form a strong partnership with fellow countryman Toby Alderweireld in the heart of Spurs’ defence for almost a decade.
He was an integral member in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad and also helped his side reach their first-ever Champions League final last season. Vertonghen also has immense experience at the international level, having been capped 118 times for Belgium. However, this season, he has been used in a bit-part role under Jose Mourinho and seems to be far from his best.
United, at the moment, have a plethora of defending talents in their ranks. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men conceded just 36 goals in the league, making them the third-best defence in England this season. Overall, they have kept 23 clean sheets across all competitions this season.
Club captain Harry Maguire has featured in every minute of the league this term and despite looking to be shaky in the last few weeks, he has done an excellent job along with Victor Lindelof. The Swede has also put in some eye-catching displays and their partnership seems to be going strong.
Apart from them, United have youngster Axel Tuanzebe and Timothy Fosu-Mensah for the future. Eric Bailly performed well too whenever he was called upon.
Thus, signing Vertonghen would make no sense for the club. The Belgian definitely has immense experience but he is already 33 and way behind his best days. He hasn’t even featured regularly in the past year and seems to be out of from. United could just do well with the bunch of youngsters they have in their squad.
Making a move for the former Ajax man would only make them waste their resources as he would eventually end up on the bench, given the partnership between Maguire and Lindelof. Thus, United should not make any such move for the Belgian.
With United performing at their best and especially the defensive unit coming to the front at the right time, it wouldn’t be wise of they try to change their backline by bringing in Vertonghen this summer. Solskjaer should not look beyond what he has got in defence and should get the best out of his players.
