Pranav Kannan
Transfer News: Erik ten Hag wants to sign one more defender at Manchester United despite Lisandro Martinez arrival
According to Tuttomercatoweb (via Sports Mole) [h/t Manchester Evening News], the Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is not content with the signing of Lisandro Martinez and wants to sign another defender to the squad.
Man United’s defence has been abysmal in recent seasons. Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof all underperformed last season and if not for the heroics of David de Gea, the Red Devils would have shipped more goals than they already did.
Erik ten Hag is trying to revive Manchester United and take them back to the summit of English football and that cannot be possible if we have a leaky defence. Hence, it makes sense that the Dutchman wants to sign another centre-back.
Having already signed Tyrell Malacia and Martinez, Ten Hag has already added solid reinforcements to the defence but it might not be enough. Signing another centre-back is an option, with Augsburg defender Felix Uduokhai considered an option.
It is not that Man United do not have options. Lisandro Martinez is an exceptional centre-back but he is just getting into English football and could struggle to adapt for some time. Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof can both do a decent job.
Varane might not have had the best of first seasons at Old Trafford but there is absolutely no denying his quality and being the world-class centre-back that he is, don’t count against him putting in a great shift next season.
Regardless, if ten Hag is really keen on signing another centre-back, Uduokhai indeed is a smart option for the Red Devils. Anyone who has seen the Bundesliga know how talented the Ausburg defender is.
However, the signing of another defender must not be our priority. Considering the reinforcements that we have already made, we would be good to go even if we don’t sign another player for defence ahead of next season.
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It is our midfield that is crying out for reinforcements and that should be our priority. We must sign a world-class midfielder next up. A centre-back, even if that is Uduokhai, can wait.
Whether the Augsburg man is willing to rotate under Ten Hag is a different thing, but as of now, it seems hard to see where he would fit into our starting XI.
