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Manchester United v Arsenal: who’s going to win the battle for this superstar defender?

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Ron Vlaar (Aston Villa)Manchester United and Arsenal have both come up short defensively this season. As a result, there’s a good chance that the two clubs will be competing for similar players during the January transfer window. This could lead to some rather interesting clashes in the transfer market.

Why The Red Devils didn’t work harder to sign experienced, quality centre-backs to replace Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic is beyond me. That duo was the beating heart of Manchester United’s defense. Without them, they look a little lost. There’s hope that Marcos Rojo will improve over time, but he certainly wasn’t great against Leicester City.

Arsenal also have their own defensive issues. Arsene Wenger made a number of smart attacking additions to his squad during the summer, but he’s left his defence seriously under-cooked. Now injuries are having their wicked way with Wenger’s team and it’s crippling any chance they have of winning silverware this year.

Suffice to say, both teams will be waiting with baited breath for the arrival of the January transfer window. That’ll give them the opportunity they need to fix their weak defences.

According to The Metro, there’s a good chance they’re going to be chasing the same player. The source suggests that both Arsenal and Manchester United will be placing bids for Aston Villa star Ron Vlaar this January. Could ‘Concrete Ron’ be about to get a move to a big club?

The 29-year-old has bags of experience at the top level (thanks to his 31 caps for the Dutch national side). He’s tough as nails, strong in the tackle and he’s positionally aware. Better still, he’s been in the Premier League since 2012, so he shouldn’t need too much time to adapt to his new surroundings.

His Villa contract will expire at the end of the year, which could make him the perfect target for a cut-price deal this January. Given that Louis Van Gaal has a pre-existing relationship with the player, I’d argue that Manchester United are in the driving seat here.

They have the money and the relationship to force Arsenal out of the equation. Now we just need to wait and see if Van Gaal is up for the chase.

What’s your take? Is Ron Vlaar the right choice for Manchester United? Could Arsenal also be interested?

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