Ten Hag’s defensive star
Manchester United’s summer transfer window hasn’t exactly gone to plan. If newspaper reports are to be believed, the club have failed miserably in their attempts to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong and star forward Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly been offering his services to just about every major club in the hope that someone would rescue him from Old Trafford.
However, while the media coverage may suggest that Man Utd have had very little success in the transfer window, new manager Erik ten Hag may disagree entirely. Not only have the Red Devils managed to bag former Feyenoord full-back Tyrell Malacia but they also signed the heart of their new manager’s former defence in Ajax central defender Lisandro Martínez. Man Utd have undoubtedly upgraded at least two defensive positions ahead of the new season. While fans of the Old Trafford side may be holding out hope that new midfielders and forwards will arrive before the end of the transfer window, Ten Hag’s clear efforts to make sure the club prioritise defensive signings certainly makes sense when we look at the club’s struggles in the Premier League last season and failure to finish in the top four.
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A dreadful defence – in need of serious upgrades
Indeed, while Man Utd finished in a rather dismissal sixth place last season, the club’s defensive record of 57 conceded goals in 38 league games was actually only the eighth best in the division and clearly underlines where this team will need to improve if they are to make a step up this season. In contrast to Manchester City and Liverpool’s identical averages of 0.64 conceded goals per 90 or Chelsea’s 0.8 per 90 from last season, Man Utd conceded on average 1.39 goals per game. And when we look at how many points it ended up costing the club, we can see why they desperately needed new defenders.
Player Comparison
Manchester United
Manchester United
£28.80m
Market Value
£34.20m
Centre-Back
Position
Centre-Back
Jun 30, 2027
Contract until
Jun 30, 2025
Full Player Comparison
Last season Man Utd fell behind in 18 of their 38 league games. Not only is that far more than Liverpool (12) or Man City’s (eight) form over the course of the season, but the club also only managed to overturn the result on two occasions, while only clawing back to claim a draw a further four times. Which means in 14 games last season, Man Utd went behind and stayed behind. As a result, the club dropped a massive 44 points from simply being far too open in defence. It’s with that in mind that Ten Hag has clearly opted to spend his new club’s transfer budget on defenders, before forking out for a new No.9 or even another winger to bolster the club’s attacking ranks. Defensive stability is usually a strong bedrock for good teams to grow into great ones and at Man Utd it seems to be the new manager’s priority.
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