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Manchester United recently suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Liverpool which pretty much ended their Premier League title charge.
Manager Erik ten Hag has done a remarkable job in his short time so far but despite still being in the hunt for three cups, it was a reminder that the squad is still not good enough to sustain a league challenge.
And despite the form shown by first-choice defensive pairing of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, there are question marks over the long-term futures of both Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire.
United need a defensive reshuffle
The Swede is effectively third choice but has not played as much as he would have liked and there are clubs in Spain and Italy chasing his signature.
Club skipper Harry Maguire‘s stock has fallen dramatically under the Dutch boss with Ten Hag preferring Luke Shaw ahead of the England star.
And a departure is most likely on the cards and if that ends up happening, a new defender will be required.
The Red Devils have been linked with a variety of names with Benfica’s rising superstar Antonio Silva the latest to join the ranks.
The 19-year-old has a release clause of €100m and despite his young age, he is generating interest among Europe’s elites including United.
Antonio Silva being regularly scouted
Scouts have been regularly present to watch how he progresses and they have certainly been impressed as the young defender has kept 13 clean sheets in 21 starts in the league.
“Silva is contracted until 2027 with a €100m release clause. Real Madrid, Liverpool, Dortmund, Napoli and Manchester United are among the clubs who have recently sent scouts to see Silva play.
“It will be interesting to see how Benfica handle summer suitors if they do arrive. They really don’t want to lose Silva yet, and although Rui Costa said the same about Enzo Fernandez, the fact they got €121m from that deal leaves them with no need to sell,” Ben Jacobs wrote in in his CaughtOffside column.
Benfica are a selling club and they will try to raise Silva’s price to as high a level as possible. He could be the long-term answer to United’s defensive future but a lot will depend on the budget. As of now, a striker seems to be the top priority.
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