Pranav Kannan
Transfer News: Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe placed on transfer list
According to @hirstclass via @UtdPlug (h/t Manchester Evening News), Manchester United have placed three centre-backs, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe on the transfer list ahead of the summer.
Bailly joined Manchester United from Villarreal in 2016 and has had an injury-ridden career at Old Trafford. Whilst he has sometimes shown flashes of his brilliance, it has been few and far between the times he has spent on the sideline.
A product of Manchester United’s academy, Tuanzebe has been on the books of the Red Devils since 2014. Initially showing a lot of promise, much was expected of the talented defender but things have not panned out as expected.
Phil Jones, meanwhile, is a veteran of the club. He joined the Red Devils in 2011 from Blackburn Rovers to much hype. He was expected to be the next big thing in English football but has become somewhat of a laughing stock in recent years.
Man Utd are in the midst of a massive clearout and selling three players who have failed to convince over the years makes sense for the club. However, we have to be careful so as to not deplete our depth and cause problems for ourselves next season.
Bring in quality?
It makes complete sense that Manchester United are looking to move on from three underperforming defenders this summer but quality replacements need to be found.
In Raphael Varane, the Red Devils have a world-class centre-back who can continue being a mainstay in defence. However, the same cannot be said about the other options we have in central defence as of now.
Harry Maguire’s transfer can safely be called a failed transfer in the past few years. Victor Lindelof has shown flashes of potential without doubt but tends to be inconsistent and always tends to have a mistake in him quite often.
All this said, it is absolutely no secret that the Red Devils will need to sign new players to play in central defence next season. Bringing in a young highly-rated defender to play alongside the experienced Varane.
More Manchester United News
- Transfer News: Newcastle United could join race for Manchester United target Dominic Calvert-Lewin
- Transfer News: PSG preparing second bid for Manchester United target Milan Skriniar
- Manchester United get transfer boost as Aston Villa are willing to sell John McGinn
A huge summer awaits Manchester United. They seem to be making all the right noises with respect to the squad clearout but they need to be equally adept in reinforcing the squad as well.
