Carl Anka, Laurie Whitwell and Andy Mitten appeared on a recent edition of The Athletic’s Talk of the Devils podcast where they discussed all-things Manchester United and one topic that the panel spent some time discussing is the chat that Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was spotted having with Bournemouth centre-back Nathan Ake after United’s recent 5-2 win over the Cherries.
As per Goal, television cameras caught Solskjaer having a chat with Ake after this recent Premier League fixture and this led to some speculation over what the Norwegian coach may have been chatting to the Dutch defender about, with some viewers claiming that they heard the United boss tell Ake that he needs a left-footed central defender.
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Solskjaer was asked about his chat with Ake during his pre-match press conference ahead of the Red Devils’ Premier League clash with Aston Villa on Thursday 9th July and he declared that: “I have got seven centre-backs so I don’t know where that came from! We’re fine.”
Anka asked Manchester United journalist Whitwell for his thoughts on Solskjaer’s chat with Ake during the latest edition of The Athletic’s Talk of the Devils podcast and Whitwell stated: “Only he knows what he said exactly, it does seem like he could have said ‘we need a left-sided centre-back,’ somebody else I spoke to did think he was still referring to the nutmeg on [Maguire] and saying ‘you do need a little bit of luck.’
“Either way, I think it’s a sign that Solskjaer is comfortable in his own skin at United, going onto the pitch and talking to opposition players, it’s no bad thing, I don’t think and also, the wider point is that is a position that United are looking at – a left-sided centre-half, a left-footed centre-half more specifically, but only if Marcos Rojo goes.
“Clearly, he’s been out of the team and he’s got designs on ultimately going back to Argentina where he’s been on loan, so that’s something that United would look to address if he does go.”
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TIF Thoughts…
Rojo is currently the only left-footed option out of all of Manchester United’s natural centre-backs, so considering that he did leave the club on loan back in January and, according to Whitwell, may have his eye on a permanent move away from the club, then it may be understandable why the Red Devils might target a left-footed centre-back to replace him.
Whether or not Solskjaer told Ake that he is looking for a left-footed centre-back is unclear, however, prior to Thursday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur, the Bournemouth man earned a higher average overall rating than all but three other Bournemouth players in the Premier League this season according to WhoScored, making an average of 1.3 interceptions and winning an average of 2.2 aerials per game in England’s top flight this term.
Prior to United’s game against Aston Villa on Thursday, this is more interceptions per game than all but three Manchester United players made in the Premier League this season and also more aerial wins per Premier League game than all but three Red Devils players so with that in mind, it may be understandable if United do target the left-footed Dutchman this summer, should Rojo depart from Old Trafford.