{"id":566665,"date":"2020-09-21T06:37:34","date_gmt":"2020-09-21T10:37:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=566665"},"modified":"2020-09-21T06:37:34","modified_gmt":"2020-09-21T10:37:34","slug":"centre-back-not-prioiritised-at-manchester-united","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/09\/21\/centre-back-not-prioiritised-at-manchester-united\/","title":{"rendered":"REPORT: A Centre-Back is Not a Priority for Manchester United"},"content":{"rendered":"

Manchester United\u2019s<\/a> dismal performance in their season opener against Crystal Palace<\/a> raised significant questions about their defensive capabilities. A dispirited 3-1 home defeat to the Eagles sparked many disappointed fans to express their urgent need for a new central defender. However, a new centre-back is unlikely to join Manchester United this window, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

United\u2019s poor defensive display certainly does not undermine Palace\u2019s performance on the day. The South London club were excellent in attack, with ex-United star Wilfried Zaha<\/a> stealing the show. The centre-back pairing of Harry Maguire<\/a> and Victor Lindelof<\/a> fell victim of increased criticism that came United\u2019s way. Their lack of pace was targeted by the Eagles, who found space in behind countless times during the 90 minutes.<\/p>\n

Manchester United Are Not Prioritising a Centre-Back Before the Window Shuts<\/h2>\n

Importance of a World-Class Centre-Back<\/h3>\n

The importance of a complete central defender has increased since Virgil van Dijk joined Liverpool<\/a>. His technical ability, pace and defensive awareness have all made him arguably the best centre-back in the world. His emergence into the Liverpool team has also taken the Reds from challenging for the top four to winning the Champions League<\/a> and the Premier League<\/a> back-to-back.<\/p>\n

This notion of signing a world-class or a potentially world-class centre-back has materialised this transfer window. Manchester City<\/a> have signed Nathan Ake<\/a> from Bournemouth<\/a> and are also planning on bringing in another established first-class centre-back. Arsenal<\/a> have also bolstered their defensive line with the signing of Gabriel Magalhaes, while Chelsea<\/a> have brought in Thiago Silva<\/a> from Paris Saint-Germain<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You could forgive Manchester United for not wanting to spend anything major on a new centre-half. Harry Maguire cost the Red Devils \u00a380 million a little over a year ago. However, to compete with the best, it seems that a more dynamic central defender is needed at Old Trafford.<\/p>\n

High Number of Options at Manchester United<\/h3>\n

Despite United\u2019s perceived necessity for a new defender, the club still have a number of options in that position. Eric Bailly<\/a>, Chris Smalling<\/a>, Phil Jones<\/a>, Axel Tuanzebe, Marcos Rojo and Teden Mengi<\/a> are all still contracted at United and could still be called upon.<\/p>\n

However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer<\/a> is heading towards a new direction and would seemingly like to offload some of these names. If United were to make a move for what fans perceive to be a much-needed central defender, they will need to sell at least a couple of the previously mentioned defenders.<\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>