Only four Premier League teams have a worse defensive record than Man Utd this season and all four of them are in grave danger of suffering relegation. That is a miserable record for a manager like Jose Mourinho, whose previous success has been built upon defensive solidity and grinding out results.
Mourinho wanted to sign either Harry Maguire or Toby Alderweireld in the summer, and he publicly criticised the board for failing to back him in the transfer market. The Red Devils are still linked with those two, but Leicester and Tottenham show no signs of wanting to do business and Man Utd’s defensive struggles may continue unless they find alternative solutions. Here are five centre-backs they could target in January:
Kalidou Koulibaly
The 6ft 4ins Senegalese defender is an absolute beast at the back for Napoli and he has been consistently strong for several years now. He is now 27 years old and he is therefore approaching the prime of his career. The Serie A outfit tied him down to a five-year deal this summer and he would command a price tag of around £80 million. That is an eye-watering sum, but the Premier League is an arms race nowadays and if Man Utd hope to catch Man City and Liverpool they need to spend big. They look to have plenty of exciting options going forwards, as Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford are on fire, while Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku could yet rediscover their best form and Jesse Lingard is now back from injury. They have plenty of midfield options too, but Mourinho clearly does not trust Eric Bailly, and the likes of Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof are too inconsistent. Signing a defensive titan like Koulibaly would bolster Man Utd’s spine and set them up for big games going forwards.
Jonathan Tah
In August 2013, this colossal defender became the youngest debutant to ever pull on a Hamburg shirt. He was just 17 years of age at the time, but he impressed greatly with his aerial ability and positional sense. He thrived during a loan spell at Bundesliga 2 side Fortuna Dusseldorf, and that inspired Bayer Leverkusen to snap him up in 2015. Since then he has come on leaps and bounds and he is now widely rated as one of the best defenders in Germany. Like Koulibaly, he is big and strong and he should have little trouble in adapting to the rigours of the Premier League. If you check out the sports spread betting, you will see that Man Utd are tipped to finish sixth this season, which would be a poor return for such a big club. They need to rebuild at the back and Tah is just 22 now, so he could become the bedrock of the Man Utd team for the next decade.
Lewis Dunk
Brighton have been magnificent at the back since winning promotion to the Premier League and their success is built on the axis of Dunk and Shane Duffy. Both men are absolute titans at the back and the Seagulls did well to tie the pair of them down to five-year contracts last month. Either could slot into the Man Utd backline and perform admirably, but we will go for Dunk as the Red Devils have recently been linked with signing him. He has come through the lower leagues and earned his first England cap this month as the Three Lions kept a clean sheet against the USA. The 26-year-old has the battling qualities that Man Utd have desperately lacked at times this season and he would make a great alternative to Harry Maguire.
Mats Hummels
The legendary German defender has been remarkably consistent over the years, impressing with his ability to read the game and his powerful tackling. He is another big, strong presence, standing 6ft 4ins tall and blessed with broad shoulders and a sturdy frame. Yet he is also elegant on the ball and technically gifted, while his tactical versatility makes him a dream to coach. He won plenty of silverware at Borussia Dortmund before heading back to Bayern Munich, where he continues to add to his bulging trophy cabinet. He also has a World Cup winners’ medal to his name, and it could be time for him to embark upon a new challenge. All is not well at Bayern this season, and Hummels could be tempted to jump ship at the age of 29.
Alessio Romagnoli
The 23-year-old is the latest in a long line of ultra-classy Italian centre-backs, following in the footsteps of superstars like Alessandro Nesta and Paulo Maldini. Like Hummels, he is elegant on the ball and reads the game well, but he is a lot younger and he also has the benefit of being left footed. He is a brilliant technician, displays great decision-making and he looks set to anchor the Italian defence for years to come. Man Utd would need to stump up a huge sum to convince AC Milan to do business, but he would represent an extremely astute signing if they could pull it off.
