Sky Sports Journalist: Manchester United may now move to sign new “high-quality” player to replace Raphael Varane in January – report
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag will be in the market for new arrivals come January and the Dutchman is now reportedly eyeing up separate swoops for two players, according to a new development.
Man Utd’s lack of consistency…
Across the board, United have endured an inconsistent campaign that has them languishing in seventh position in the Premier League standings, with 24 points from their 14 matches played in the English top-flight under Ten Hag’s stewardship.
Eight wins and six losses paint a fairly accurate reflection of the Red Devils’ endeavours this term, with a common theme of being able to defeat sides of slightly lesser quality than themselves alongside struggling to overcome sides that sit above them in the table.
In the Champions League, one win, a draw, and three losses from five matches have left Ten Hag’s side in grave danger of exiting the competition at the group stage. Although they sit only one point behind Copenhagen and Galatasaray in Group A, Manchester United will likely need both sides to draw on matchday six in synchronicity with a winning result of their own against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford.
Despite spurts of promise at times during this campaign, it is clear that their side is unbecoming of the global reputation that the club possesses and much will need to change involving the playing squad and behind the scenes before the Red Devils can hold themselves in the same esteem as the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool on the field.
Conducting surgery to their playing roster will be crucial to ensure a top-four finish is still in sight at Old Trafford and new reports suggest that Ten Hag is eyeing a double swoop to improve his side.
Jean-Clair Todibo and Antonio Silva eyed…
According to Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo “remains a candidate” for a winter move to Manchester United. On the same token, Benfica star Antonio Silva is also being eyed by the Red Devils, with a summer swoop mooted for the Portugal international, as per the following on social media platform X.
Of course, Lisandro Martinez has been suffering from a recurrence of a metatarsal injury this term and has left his manager bereft of options in central defence. Raphael Varane has lost his place in the side, leading to Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof becoming Ten Hag’s favoured partnership in recent times, though Luke Shaw has also deputised when called upon.
Todibo, who has previously been labelled “high-quality” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has made 12 appearances for Ligue 1 outfit Nice this term across all competitions, registering one assist in the process. (Todibo statistics – Transfermarkt)
On the other hand, by honing in on Silva’s main attributes, you can see that he is an extremely efficient ball-playing defender. In Liga Portugal, he has managed to rack up a pass success rate of 93.8% in 2023/24 while also showing his dominant side, winning around two aerial duels per match in the Portuguese top-flight (Silva statistics – WhoScored).
It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that we could see the pair one day link up at Old Trafford; nevertheless, both are likely to demand significant fees, so we will need to wait and see on that front.
