Manchester United have had tons of great defenders in the past. One name in particular strikes first for the people who started watching football not too long ago, and that is, Nemanja Vidic.
Vidic signed for Manchester United for a fee of around £7 million on 25 December 2005, and joined the club on 5 January 2006 after his work permit was fixed. This was two-and-a-half years after Manchester United’s supposed interest in him began. On 7 February 2014, Vidic announced that he would be leaving Manchester United at the end of the 2013–14 season.
The Serbian footballer was given the armband during his time at United and led the team to glory numerous times. He was tall, strong and an aerial threat for any other player. Vidic was a genius at defence and also a true leader.
Manchester United have somehow not managed to replace him even though the likes of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have developed massively in recent times but not on the same level as Vidic was during his time at Old Trafford.
Let’s take a look at some Vidic like players which can be signed by Manchester United.
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Giorgio Chiellini
Current Club: Juventus
Position: Centre-Back
Age: 22
Height: 6’1
Nationality: Italy
Characteristics:
- Physically Strong
- Great Tackler
- Likes to keep ball possession
Chiellini began his career as a left-back, but made his name as an aggressive, physical, hard-tackling centre back in a three or four-man defence, with a penchant for scoring headers from set-pieces, due to his aerial expertise and strength. Walter Mazzarri once labeled him as “a force of nature, he’s a universal player that any coach would love to have on his team. He is from another planet; he can mark three players by himself.”
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Kurt Zouma
Current Club: Chelsea
Position: Centre-Back
Age: 21
Height: 6’2
Nationality: France
Characteristics:
- Aerial Threat
- Reads the game well
- Physically strong.
Kurt Zouma joined Chelsea for £12 million in January 2014. Chelsea loaned him back to his first club for the remainder of the season, and in his first full campaign in England, Zouma helped Chelsea win the League Cup and the Premier League. He has represented France at youth levels, up to under-21.
3. Niklas Sule
Current Club: Hoffenheim
Position: Centre-Back
Age: 20
Height: 6’4
Nationality: Germany
Characteristics:
- Strong tackler
- Physically tall and strong.
- Aerial Threat
Sule started his career with Rot-Weiß Walldorf. Later, he went to Eintracht Frankfurt, where he played until the end of the 2008–09 season. Afterwards, he moved to SV Darmstadt 98, and then only half a year later to 1899 Hoffenheim. He has been labelled as one of the best upcoming defenders in Germany, and has a lot of potential.