After a humiliating defeat against the German heavyweights Borussia Dortmund, the Devils’ manager Jose Mourinho will have to assess his option for the defensive line. Earlier this month, he stated that he would be using Phil Jones oftenly alongside the number one choice Chris Smalling. This obviously was a surprise to hear as the United have recently bought Eric Bailly, and the 22-year-old defender showed how good he is against Dortmund.

If observing both, it is fair to say that Bailly gave a top notch performance compared to what Phil Jones did. The Englishman, at one point in his career, was supposed to be the future of  England, but his injuries hampered his progress and he failed to mark his place in the starting spot for the club. But with Mourinho at the helm now, it is expected that Jones will be playing a much greater role.

Now, as stated earlier, it was observed that it was the defence, which failed to cope with the long diagonal balls Dortmund threw at them and after this, Mourinho might have to assess the entire situation again. Now, it the reported that Manchester United are currently chasing the long term Chelsea target, Kostas Manolas. The 25-year-old currently plays for Roma and his agent has revealed that there are some Premier League clubs looking to sign him, including Manchester United.

Who is Kostas Manolas?

Manolas started his footballing career from the Greek second division side Thrasyvoulos Fylis, before moving to AEK Athens in 2009. He had a tough start to his new career, but in his first seven matches, Manolas was named as the man of the match in five of them. In the season that followed, he cemented his spot in the starting XI and went on to make 36 appearances for the side in all competition.

In the 2010-11 season, the Greek defender helped the side to win the Greek cup and that was his very first trophy of his career.

In 2012, the defender moved to the rival club Olympiacos on a free transfer. Soon after spending a single season with the club, he was touted as the possible transfer target for many big clubs including Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland. After making 73 appearances during his two years of tenure with Olympiacos, the defender moved to the Serie A giants AS Roma, and recently, he completed his second season with the club and has made 86 appearances till date.

Style Of Play-

Despite of being a centre back, the 25-year-old is known for his ball techniques. Manolas is a quick and strong defender, who loves to engage himself in the physical battle. He is not the tallest personnel in the industry, but his aerial ability could be a nightmare for most of the Premier League opponents.

An excellent all-round ball playing defender is how Manolas can be described as. He loves to keep possession of the ball on his feet and is a perfect playmaker as well. The number 44 for Roma scored two goals and also bagged two assists last season and won 62% of his average duels and this is something to be very proud of. Not even a single Manchester United defender came close to this mark last season.

Though he sometimes lacks concentration and also looks lost at some point, talking overall, the Greek star is just the perfect man for any Premier League club, not just Manchester United. As stated earlier, United will have to assess their defensive options after the defeat, hence, Manolas could easily fit the bill.