One of the biggest things holding back Manchester United last season was their leaky defence, with the team conceding a total of 57 goals during the course of the Premier League season.
And that prompted new manager Erik ten Hag to prioritise improving the defence as soon as he was appointed. The Dutchman did just that, bringing in Lisandro Martinez from former club Ajax.
And the Argentine has been a huge hit so far, endearing himself to the Old Trafford faithful with his no-nonsense defending and all-action displays.
United’s hunt for a CB
But with the ongoing injury struggles of Raphael Varane coupled with the uncertainty surrounding the future of club captain Harry Maguire, adding another defender makes sense.
The latest name to be linked with the Red Devils is Inter Milan centre-back Stefan de Vrij. According to Calcio Mercato Web, the future of three defenders could be on the line in January.
🚨 La Liga and EPL clubs are the keeping track of Stefan de Vrij’s contract situation.
🇳🇱 🟦⬛ #IMInter pic.twitter.com/MT3N4ASo6g— Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) November 29, 2022
The situation of the three — Milan Skriniar, Alessandro Bastoni and De Vrij is ‘very delicate’ at the moment.
As things stand, the Nerazzurri want to keep hold of the Slovakian and are trying to get him to agree a new contract.
The Italian’s contract ends in 2024 but with no resolution in sight, Premier League clubs are hovering including Antoni Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur.
De Vrij could be a short-term solution
But for De Vrij, it is most likely that he will leave in the summer but the January window might provide the best chance for Inter to recoup a fee from his sale.
“Manchester United coached by Erik Ten Hag, a technician with a great knowledge of Dutch football, could dive right into de Vrij’s opportunity for January,” the report adds.
The Serie A giants would ask for around €10 million euros, a figure that is not very high, but not even low considering the Dutch international’s contract duration.
Whether United will wait until the summer to grab him on a free or pay in January remains to be seen. However, considering the defender’s age (30), this seems to be a short-term solution at best.
