Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez were two defensive additions made by Man United during the summer transfer window.
United has a wide range of defense options.
Erik ten Hag's squad is starting to take shape as the third addition comes through the door.
On Wednesday, Manchester United officially announced that they had signed Ajax's versatile defender Lisandro Martinez after the additions of Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen. The Argentine's initial cost to the club is £46.8 million, but if certain conditions are met, that fee could increase to £55.3 million.
The club now has seven senior centre-backs in the team in addition to their talented young players thanks to the signing of United's new No. 6, who has a long deal that runs until 2027 with an additional 12-month option. Due to recent reports linking him to a move to Roma and a reunion with Jose Mourinho, Eric Bailly could still leave the team. Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe may also be let go as they enter the final year of their contracts.
Even if they do leave, Malacia has six different full-backs, giving Ten Hag plenty of choices at center-back. Diogo Dalot, Ethan Laird, Alex Telles, Luke Shaw, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.There are many players to pick from, so it will be interesting to watch which one the new manager choose to start as his defensive unit.
Rob Fay
Raphael Varane would ideally start every game for United next season, but the reality is that he can't be counted on frequently enough to be a regular starter. Instead, he should be viewed as a high-quality backup early in the season. With his distributional play during the preseason, Harry Maguire has impressed, and given that he is still the club captain, it appears inevitable that he will be one of the two starting in the upcoming campaign.
His difficulties are caused in part by the fact that he doesn't have a consistent, dependable teammate and that he has been played out of position on the left. The addition of Lisandro Martinez, whose playing style ought to complement that of the United captain, ought to address both of those problems.
Varane has battled to stay in shape.
Diogo Dalot has surpassed Aaron Wan-Bissaka at full-back on the right, and Luke Shaw, despite Tyrell Malacia's rivalry, is still the better choice on the left.
Michael Murphy
Martinez appears to be a highly astute acquisition who checks all the right boxes and will undoubtedly play a significant role in the future of United. Varane is still United's top center back for the time being though, as he hasn't faced much opposition in the Premier League. Varane started to find his footing in a bad United team after adjusting to English football and even managed to create a respectable relationship with Maguire.
The only issue is that because of his propensity for injuries, they didn't play together nearly enough. This trend persisted during the preseason, and it doesn't bode well for the upcoming campaign, although Varane should unquestionably be the first choice if he is healthy. Martinez must demonstrate his abilities and seize the opportunity when the Frenchman unavoidably makes a mistake.
Right-back for the current campaign appears to be secured by Dalot, but left-back is still up in the air. Shaw has it for the time being, but Malacia will be ready to take it if he doesn't return to his best.
David Wood
Varane being available for every game would be the ideal situation for Ten Hag. He is a cool, collected individual who is equally skilled at doing the physical play required against some Premier League teams. His glittering resume for club and country demonstrates that he also understands what it takes to win.
This player has four Champions League titles under his belt, including the most prestigious one with France. Martinez cost United a lot of money, and Given that transfer fee and the fact that Ten Hag is acquainted with him, it wouldn't be surprising to see him start at center-back. Although Maguire's struggles have been well-documented, his performance at the international level should also not be disregarded. This success has coincided with another accomplished player who is always on the ball: John Stones. For Ten Hag, a comparable combination might come from Maguire and Martinez.
Dalot may face opposition later on, but he has already demonstrated enough to be handed first choice at right-back. The matchup between Malacia and Shaw should be exciting, as the former provides United the option to change things up and use a wing-back formation. Shaw for the time being, but when Malacia had acclimated to his new surroundings, the question might have a different response.
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