Manchester United have already wrapped up a deal for one centre-back – Sporting Lisbon’s Marcos Rojo – but hopefully the defensive recruitment won’t stop there.
After all, earlier this summer The Red Devils lost two of their most important players: Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. Both are centre-backs, both are supremely gifted and both had leadership qualities. I’m not sure that Louis Van Gaal has fully replaced this pairing just yet.
Marcos Rojo looks like an excellent option, but he’s only 24-years-old and he’s yet to hit his peak. He’s still got some learning to do.
Don’t Manchester United need an experienced presence among their back-four?
This brings me to The Red Devils’ continued interest in long-term transfer target Mehdi Benatia. With the transfer window about to slam shut, shouldn’t Louis Van Gaal be considering pulling the trigger on this one?
The Metro note that Manchester United ‘could be closing on a deal’ for the Moroccan international, after he dropped out of Roma’s squad to face AEK Athens in a friendly.
The fact that he wasn’t included in the squad, may or may not be a big deal. There’s some uncertainty surrounding the player’s injury status after all. Still, it’s natural enough that Manchester United fans would interpret this as good news.
At 27-years-old, Benatia has plenty of experience in Serie A (80 games for Udinese and 33 games for Roma) and at international level (31 caps for Morocco). He’s tall, he’s physical and he’s strong in the tackle. Given his aerial dominance and his speed across the turf, it’s easy enough to picture him making an instant mark in the Premier League.
The Metro suggest that a Manchester United deal for Mehdi Benatia could set the club back as much as £30m. In other words, if this goes through, The Red Devils will have made a massive investment in the Moroccan. Quality doesn’t come cheap, does it?
Let’s just hope that Benatia and Marcos Rojo are enough to steady the ship following the exits of both Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.
What’s your take? Where does Mehdi Benatia’s future lie?
Please follow @ThePerfectPass for more football related action!
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.
Erm I think you need to keep up with the news mate; didn’t Benatia sign for Bayern two days ago?
What a pity…u dont even realise he was signed two days ago…nxt u will say we are closing on kroos and james rodriguez.