Manchester United haven’t had a central defender this season who hasn’t been out for some amount of time due to injury or illness.
Considering their injury situation in a campaign far more tense last year, this year has been a huge outlier in terms of injuries Erik ten Hag has had to deal with.
He has been at pains to stress that the routines and patterns are disrupted when he misses players and centre-back is the position that has been hurt the most due to Lisandro Martinez’s absence.
As a result, United have been linked with other, mainly left-footed centre-backs, with Jarrad Branthwaite near the top of the list.
Branthwaite theoretically ticks all the boxes- young, league-proven, left-footed, physical, and potential to improve.
There have been some concerns over his suitability to United’s style of play but the club looks have remained undeterred in their pursuit.
As per TeamTalk, though, another hurdle could be standing in the way of this pursuit.
The report states that Everton have slapped an £80 million price tag on Branthwaite, keeping Wesley Fofana’s transfer fee to Chelsea (£75 million), as a barometer.
Furthermore, this is just the “minimum” price set for him, with the negotiations expected to start at a much higher price.
Even £80 million would make the joint-most expensive defender in world football alongside, ironically, the man he could replace at Old Trafford in Harry Maguire.
Despite the potentially prohibitive price, it is reported that United believe him to be a better signing than someone like OGC Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo.
The club has also been linked with Antonio Silva, a similarly young player with high potential.
One thing remains certain amidst all this and that is United will sign a new centre-back this summer. Who will it be remains a question that could be answered nearer to the window.
