United Centre back targets:
[A Thread]

With United openly looking for a new centre back, I’ve done a thread evaluating the available options and which one I think is best.
Likes and RT’s appreciated
#MUFC

The first option, and the player they’ve been most linked to is Monaco’s Benoît Badiashile.

Reportedly available for £28m, the 19 year old has already been subject to a bid from United, with it looking likely they’ll go back in for him.

As a player, Benoît is a modern ball-playing centre back who looks to build from the back.

With 67% of his passes being forward, he frequently looks to break the lines and accelerate his teams attack, often going direct either to an advanced midfielder or forward.

His passing map below, taken from Monaco’s 4-1 win against Brest highlights this.

His vision for a centre back at his age is extremely impressive, shown by his chance created (highlighted in light blue) where he played the Monaco forward through on goal.

At 6ft 4 he’s dominant in the air, winning nearly 70% of his aerial duels which is higher than the likes of Laporte (66.7%) and Mings (62.3%).

Yet to receive a yellow card this season, he’s an exceptionally composed tackler, rarely diving in unnecessarily.

He’s extremely pacey, which could be of use to United.

With them playing such a high line, they need a covering CB. If you look at Bergwijn’s goal vs United, with Benoît as a covering CB he may have been able to get back in time to block the shot.

However he does have quite a few defensive weaknesses.

Firstly, he’s really poor in 1v1 situations, only defending 39% of attempted dribbles against him. Pairing him with Maguire who defends (32%) could end in disaster for United if both CB’s have the same weakness.

At 19 years old he’s still very green, and has a tendency to switch off in games, which he needs to iron out.

Despite this, he has the physical attributes and the passing to become a top centre back if Ole can fix his defensive liabilities.

Next on the list, is Villarreal centre back Pau Torres.

Despite being 23 years old, this was his first ever season playing top flight Spanish football, but he was a standout player in the league this season and is attracting interest from some of the biggest clubs in the world.

This season he’s proved himself exceptional in many areas, a fantastic passer, very solid in 1v1’s and positionally aware, he’s been playing at a very high level.

His passing really is exceptional as seen below.

His vision to break the lines is almost comparable to that of a midfielder, and his passing range has been pivotal for Villarreal this season, with him starting the majority of their attacks.

His 61% 1v1 record is very impressive, and this is largely due to his anticipation as a defender.

Despite conceding, the clip below shows his defensive intelligence.

When other centre backs would focus on their position and not the marker, we see Torres do both. Checking the run and he gets the ball away from the immediate goal threat, although the clearance is poor.

Interestingly, despite being 6ft 2 he’s very weak in the air.

This season he’s only won 47.4% of his aerial duels, losing 50 aerial duels. However, with aerial duels being Maguire’s best strength this could balance out should they become centre back partners.

Pau Torres looks to be a phenomenal centre back, and with the likes of Madrid and Barca wanting to see how he performs in the coming season this will probably the only chance United would have to sign him.

The last option is Duje Caleta-Car, a 23 year old Croatian currently playing for Marseille.

Since moving from Salzburg in 2018, he has become a well respected centre back in France, and has attracted interest from top clubs all around Europe.

On the ball, Caleta-Car is one of the calmest centre backs going.

Comfortable dribbling with either foot he plays the ball well, often looking to break the lines or go direct to a forward and play them in behind. For a CB his passing range is extremely impressive.

His ability to break the lines has been key for Marseille and with better long range pass accuracy than both Van Dijk and Laporte he is a very accomplished passer of a ball at CB.

His passing maps detail how much of a forward thinking centre back he is.

He’s dominant in the air, winning 73.4% of his aerial duels.

Combining him with Maguire on corners could give them a real threat on set pieces, after United scored from 0 this season.

He’s excellent in 1v1 situations, winning 61.3% of attempted dribbles against him, which is higher than the likes of Laporte (53.8%), Söyüncü (52.7%) and Maguire (38.9%).

Having played in a high line at both Salzburg and Marseille, he could be tailor made for United.

Despite being the only non-left footed centre back on the list, Caleta-Car frequently plays on the left side so this wouldn’t be a cause for concern.

Caleta-Car is a fantasic player and would be a good signing, available for a decent price.

Overall, I think United would probably do best to sign Pau Torres. Although, with Caleta-Car available for around £20m he would be extremely good business.

As for Benoît, he’s a good signing as long as he’s expected not to start and is given time to adapt and develop.