Centre Back... Who do we go for?

[The Mad Manc]

Its a hard one to call, as we suffer so many injuries and have to chop and change the defence so regularly.

Each defender we have has good and bad points, but the key is finding the right pairing. For example, Jones and Smalling together rarely looks good, but Smalling seems better with Rojo or Lindelof even. Same with Jones. Jones/Rojo has looked good.

Bailly is our main CB, no doubt. But he has missed so much of this season its hard to rely on him.

Lindelof was baught for big money and has yet to show the good form, I think talk of him being sold at this point is rash, given Jones and Smalling have been here for years and haven't improved and each have issue's.

Ideally we'd play Lindelof / Bailly every game, but it hasn't worked that way.

With all available options, I would sell Darmian, Blind and Smalling. I would sign Toby from spurs.

Jose rates Jones and Rojo, I cant see him letting them go as well as the above.

Toby/Bailly would be a good pairing with lindelof, Jones, Rojo and Tuanzebe as back up. Given our injuries, we probably need this amount of cover.

everytime I've seen Tuanzebe he has looked good, so perhaps we already have the answer without making a signing.

One thing is for certain, Jones and Smalling together should not be used unless we have no other options, they are awful together

Agree with pretty much everything here. I still hope Bailly/Lindelöf will come good but I'm unsure who Bailly's best partner is at the moment. Annoying that we are talking about bringing in yet another CB when Jose has already signed 2 and inherited some good ones.

Smalling would also be my choice to go. Good defender but terrible when in possession. Alderweireld would be a good upgrade even though he's older.

I really hope Tuanzebe is in the first team next season. I really like the kid and he could save us a fortune if he continues to step up.

 

[bucky]

Alderweireld makes the most sense although we have to take a good look at this injury lay-off. I get the feeling Mourinho would take Varane in any De Gea deal, and the other one that I reckon might happen is Skriniar from Inter.

I would find it hard to believe, if he wasn't on Mourinho's radar.

 

[AP88]

I'd love to see this. Big, dominant, capable with the ball and even more importantly I can't find a single injury on his record. I think he'd be a better buy than Alderweireld because I think he'd compliment Rojo, Bailly, Lindelöf and Jones better as they are all susceptible to a powerful CF. Send Smalling the other way.

Yeah he’s a very impressive defender; more ‘solid’ than Jones and a better footballer than Smalling. I also really rate Mawson as well though, very little between them this season and would both be good acquisitions for any of the top 6 clubs.

What it does show is that there’s a shitload of talent to be harvested in the lower leagues - Alli, Rose, Walker, Stones, Mawson, Maguire and Lewis Cook all graduated from football league academies are all prominent in the current England squad, and ironically look like more natural footballers than the likes of Welbeck, Henderson and Livermore etc who came through at Premier League clubs.

For me, Alderweireld is a must buy - he’s the best defender in the league and improves Spurs’ defence tenfold when he actually players. His distribution and reading of the game paired with Bailly’s pace and aggression would work, but both have had injury issues this year, so they’re going to require decent cover.

Smalling isn’t as bad as people make out, but Maguire or Mawson would be an upgrade. I like the idea of Jones staying as a rightback - his best performances under Ferguson came there and he’s a better footballer than he’s given credit for. Rojo’s pure chaos, and Lindelof should be loaned out.

 

[Devil may care]

I would find it hard to believe, if he wasn't on Mourinho's radar.

He has a bit of everything in his game, Inter paid a pretty big fee for him just a year ago I think but I could still see us testing their resolve and they are getting De Vrij on a free so it wouldn't be unusual for an Italian club to put profit first.

 

[SpyLuke10]

Bailly: Gun, keep at all costs.
Rojo: Keep.
Jones: Sell, too mistake prone.
Smalling: Keep, very good to have - at least as a backup centre back. Also nowhere near as bad on the ball as some people make him out to be (Gareth Southgate is a twat). Looks much better next to a centre back like Bailly or Rojo.
Lindelof: Keep, its my opinion that he is probably the worst centre back at the club, but, he is fairly young, he can improve, he is still adapting to United and the premier league, he is excellent on the ball and hopefully, with time, he can become a very good centre back here. I'll judge him more next season.
Blind: Sell, too slow, bang average too.

TLDR:

Keep: Bailly, Rojo and Smalling.
Sell: Jones and Blind.
Time will tell/wait and see (keep): Lindelof.

 

[JohnnyLaw]

Seriously? You'd genuinely rather we signed Maguire than Alderweireld?

Maguire looks good in this Leicester team who are basically a solid mid-table club and a counter attacking team. Michael Keane looked great at Burnley before his move and his reputation has since plummeted. John Stones doesn't start at City anymore. Maybe he could make the step up but I don't think it's worth the risk, we've got a lot of 'good but not great' CBs already, no point just adding another one.

I don't think that Maguire is a better player than Alderweireld, but we need consistancy in our back line more than anything and I fear that Alderweireld, with his recent injury troubles, could be detrimental to that cause. Leicester are a solid team and (like us) they are a counter-attacking team, but he's already made a step up from Hull where he also looked impressive. I don't think that Keane ever looked as complete of a defender as Maguire has and Stones was already showing alot of issues with his game before the move to City.
I said the same thing as you when there talks of Keane and Lindelöf coming here, they're good but I don't see potential greats in them. I do see great potential in Maguire but more so I feel that he could create great partnerships with the centrebacks that we already have. Milan Skriniar is another one I'd be happy to see but I don't know if I'd want us wasting any more time locking horns with Inter.

 

[pablotatt]

Maguire makes a lot of mistakes. He's a fecking liability.

We need a leader.

 

[Slimcharles69]

Alderweireld if healthy is a no brainer, especially if the rumors of him wanting to leave spurs are true. Other than that I can't think of a realistic target we can sign that would be available and would be clear improvements on what we have. Maybe if we have a cb departing but I think we might see more of lindelof next season rather than a new center back. Umtiti would be class too but he's using us to get a better deal from barca.

 

[Craig Ward]

With Jose still at Shaw, and Valencia aging and out midfield a complete shambles I still don't think cb is a priority.

Jose needs to address the midfield and full backs, We won't do much else business as he doesn't like to overhaul too much in 1 window.

I'd sell Blind, Damian, Jones and Smalling. Use TFM and Tuanzebe next year. Sign a RB, sell Shaw and sign a LB (I'd opt to keep Shaw but he's never going to work under Jose so best to move on)

That's 5 out and 4 In, using the boys on loan. Maybe keep Jones as a backup but we do need change

 

[FromTheBench]

Dont see why se need another Cb unless there is a elite one going. And still, Money would be better spent elsewhere anyway.

Whoever we will sign at Cb will invariably struggle. To settle or become a crock. Anyway.

 

[bucky]

He has a bit of everything in his game, Inter paid a pretty big fee for him just a year ago I think but I could still see us testing their resolve and they are getting De Vrij on a free so it wouldn't be unusual for an Italian club to put profit first.

Has that been confirmed?

 

[Devil may care]

Has that been confirmed?

Not 100%, but I'm sure there was comments from the Lazio president that Inter was his destination.

 

[Raoul]

The answer is no one. We already have 5 and even if one leaves this summer, 4 quality CBs with no discernable partnership is more than enough to proceed with. We have much bigger fish to fry at other positions.

 

[Minimalist]

I struggle to understand why this would be a priority. I mean I don't rate some of the centre backs we have as regular starters but all of them can do a job.

Midfield and full backs require attention much more than this.

 

[bucky]

Not 100%, but I'm sure there was comments from the Lazio president that Inter was his destination.

Thank you. I don't necessarily think that de Vrij's arrival will mean Skriniar's departure, if it happens though, I think we will be in the mix.

 

[bucky]

The answer is no one. We already have 5 and even if one leaves this summer, 4 quality CBs with no discernable partnership is more than enough to proceed with. We have much bigger fish to fry at other positions.

I struggle to understand why this would be a priority. I mean I don't rate some of the centre backs we have as regular starters but all of them can do a job.

Midfield and full backs require attention much more than this.

I agree, but I also think there might be players Mourinho doesn't want to miss out on.

 

[Amadaeus]

Why do some fans ask for centerback every season? The ones we have are good enough and we have one of the best defensive record in the league. Heck, Even TFM and Tuzanbe are good enough to start at United.

 

[Nytram Shakes]

I don't think we need a centre back, but if you were forcing me to pick one I'd go for Lascelles, I've been really impressed with him this year, and Jose said we need some leaders well this guy is a natural leader.

 

[Silas]

Why do some fans ask for centerback every season? The ones we have are good enough and we have one of the best defensive record in the league. Heck, Even TFM and Tuzanbe are good enough to start at United.

Yet neither are starting at Villa or Crystal Palace.

 

[Camilo]

Jones is the future of our defence.

 

[stepic]

Fullbacks are definitely the priority, along with another midfielder. Centre back only if a clear upgrade is available.

 

[Rossa]

I don't entertain the idea of us spending more money on centre backs. Firstly, I think we are well stacked. Secondly, we have other concerns that are more pressing, such as our right wing situation and fullback positions. Thirdly, how would that reflect on Mourinho, having already signed two centre backs? Lastly, I also think we have too good prospects in Tuanzebe and TFM to buy even more central defenders.

 

[Sterling Archer]

I agree, but I also think there might be players Mourinho doesn't want to miss out on.

If it's one of those opportunities then we will surely make an attempt. But with Rojo and Bailly fit we can make do. We are defensively quite sound . It's the forwards and attacking midfield that's a priority problem.

 

[Jayus20]

Anyone know much about Salif Sane?

 

[Luke1989]

If we go for one it's got to be Milan Skriniar. He's insane. I'd like Alderweireld maybe for the experience to be able to be a leader for our younger center backs but Skriniar looks unbelievable.

 

[Devil may care]

I think the reason fans keep going back to wanting a CB is we have some good ones, but none of them are calm enough or have leadership qualities, most of them could benefit from being paired with a CB like Alderweireld.

Thank you. I don't necessarily think that de Vrij's arrival will mean Skriniar's departure, if it happens though, I think we will be in the mix.

Yeah, they could be looking at a Skriniar/de Vrij partnership, it's certainly possible, I just always think the Serie A sides have a bigger turnover of players and are constantly looking for big sales and free agents.

 

[Gordon S]

The answer is no one. We already have 5 and even if one leaves this summer, 4 quality CBs with no discernable partnership is more than enough to proceed with. We have much bigger fish to fry at other positions.

Agree, we probably need 2 cm, 1-2 fullbacks, 1 rw. Think thats all we can afford!
On top of that we have Tuanzebe and Fosu Mensah knocking on the door to the first team.

 

[bucky]

If it's one of those opportunities then we will surely make an attempt. But with Rojo and Bailly fit we can make do. We are defensively quite sound . It's the forwards and attacking midfield that's a priority problem.

I don't think it should be a priority either, but upgrading on Rojo, Smalling and Jones will eventually be on the cards, I reckon. Could be sooner than later.

I think the reason fans keep going back to wanting a CB is we have some good ones, but none of them are calm enough or have leadership qualities, most of them could benefit from being paired with a CB like Alderweireld.

Yeah, they could be looking at a Skriniar/de Vrij partnership, it's certainly possible, I just always think the Serie A sides have a bigger turnover of players and are constantly looking for big sales and free agents.

That's true.

 

[Escobar]

Agree, we probably need 2 cm, 1-2 fullbacks, 1 rw. Think thats all we can afford!
On top of that we have Tuanzebe and Fosu Mensah knocking on the door to the first team.

I really hope both will get a decent amount of playing time next season but I'm not so sure.

Bailly anyways is set and Rojo proved to have some potential. Smalling and Jones are question marks, as their form changes too often.

 

[LilyWhiteSpur]

I think we will sell Alderwield, but Levy will want a buyer from abroad. If a buyer can't be found we will probably keep him for the extra season and let his release clause be triggered the following summer.

 

[Bestietom]

Tah or Alderweireld to play with Bailly.

 

[Bobski]

Maguire makes a lot of mistakes. He's a fecking liability.

We need a leader.

A little harsh, but I do believe that some get carried away with his surprising grace on the ball. Far from certain that he has the defensive attributes to excel up a level, his size makes him vulnerable against quick, agile and intelligent players who can get him turning. Decent pace in a straight line once he gets going but that bulk of his could be a problem.

Toby Alderweireld is 30 in March and is injury prone, and for the money it would cost he is still relatively unproven at the top level. Better short term option than Maguire though, good on the ball, knows the league, no clear weaknesses to his game, maybe a little short on pace.

 

[fcbforever]

There's been further rumours about Boateng to United in the German media by the way. They are pretty persistent.
I wouldn't say it's unlikely, he fell out with Rummenigge a bit, Süle is doing well as is Hummels and he might seek a new challenge. At age 29, this is probably his last opportunity. I wouldn't be glad to see him go as he is immense still, but for the sake of rejuvenating the squad it might make sense.

 

[RedSky]

All our CBs are frankly below par. Would you say any of them are close to Ferdinand, Vidic, Stam, Bruce, Pallister? Answer is no. None of them have that quality. Some of them are squad material while I think probably Bailly is the only one who looks like he might have the ability to step up a notch. The rest don't, I wouldn't rely on any of them in the tough games because all of them have been proven to make errors and we won't win the league/CL with error prone CBs.

Smalling (28) - Lacklustre on the ball
Rojo (28) - Fitness issues
Jones (26) - Fitness issues
Lindelof (23) - Out of favour
Bailly (22) - Fitness issues

All of our CBs except Bailly/Lindelof should be entering their prime years. It's unlikely they'll improve much more either. While some of them have atrocious injury records.

Phil Jones for example... in 3 seasons United have played 169 games, Phil Jones has had 45mins or more in 52 games and been injured in 58 games. You can't pin our future on a player like that, how many seasons are we going to give him? It's Anderson all over again. TFM and Tuanzebe aren't going to fix our defense either. They're going to be squad material at best and given the sheer number of CBs we already have at the club it's going to be difficult for them to feature unless they suddenly step up a few notches.

I'd sell Jones and Lindelof. I'd then bring in someone experienced to take Jones spot and promote TFM/Tuanzebe to take Lindelofs. I won't mind keeping Lindelof another season to see if his jitters are fixed with a pre season though and if thats the case then i'd loan out Tuanzebe and keep TFM as no doubt Rojo/Bailly will get some knocks next season. But we do need a CB signing, not a young player like Bailly/Lindelof but someone with experience who will be our defensive rock like Matic was brought in to control the midfield. We need a similar player to come in and control the defense.

There's been further rumours about Boateng to United in the German media by the way. They are pretty persistent.
I wouldn't say it's unlikely, he fell out with Rummenigge a bit, Süle is doing well as is Hummels and he might seek a new challenge. At age 29, this is probably his last opportunity. I wouldn't be glad to see him go as he is immense still, but for the sake of rejuvenating the squad it might make sense.

Yes, exactly the type of player i'm talking about.

 

[sun_tzu]

There's been further rumours about Boateng to United in the German media by the way..

is he due to renegotiate his contract by any chance?

 

[Alabaster Codify7]

Not a single one of our CB's possesses 'the aura'.

Stam, Rio, Pallister, Bruce, Vidic and even the guys who played alongside those guys (as a result of being the partner of such a beast)....Berg, Johnsen, for example.....just gave off a very stoic and solid vibe. the sort of vibe that fortifies a back line. Leadership, strength, aggression, composure.

All of our CB's lack almost all of these attributes. It's a mish-mash of decent CB's with good traits but major flaws, too.

 

[fcbforever]

is he due to renegotiate his contract by any chance?

No

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

It seems that most agree with the need for a proper center back to partner Bailly in the future. With Lindelöf still being young and not quite ready yet, Smalling/Jones just not good enough and Rojo too inconsistent, it wouldn’t be a big surprise if United spend a decent amount to bring in a new center back in the summer.

Who do we go for?

Some candidates:
David Luiz
Sokratis Papastathopoulos
Kamil Glik
Kostas Manolas
Kalidou Koulibaly
Samuel Umtiti
Ezequiel Garay
José Giménez
Mateo Musacchio
Ömer Toprak
Stefan De Vrij
Jonathan Tah
Eric Dier
Daniele Rugani
Matthijs De Ligt
Lucas Hernández
Alessio Romagnoli
Harry Maguire
Milan Škriniar

I don’t watch that much football outside the Premier League, but from what I know, my personal preference would be Manolas or Koulibaly (if top tier players like Boateng aren’t available)

@Damien or any other modmin, a poll with some of the main candidates would be greatly appreciated.

Giminez or De Vrij

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

Anyone thinking Lindelof will/should be sold is high as a kite

 

[The red panther]

Alderweireld