Manchester United have failed to impress on every single front this season, with Erik ten Hag’s job far from secure.
However, it’s not just the boss whose Red Devils future may not go beyond the summer, with plenty of outgoings on the cards.
One of those players could be Raphael Varane, whose current contract expires in June 2024.
It seems unlikely that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has the French defender in his plans for the rebuild, especially considering he’s United’s second-highest-paid player, earning £340k-per-week, according to Capology.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a potential replacement for Varane, who could have a huge impact on Diogo Dalot.
Man Utd’s centre back search
According to a recent report from FootballTransfers, Man United have added Ezri Konsa to their list of defensive targets.
Last summer, United registered their interest in the Aston Villa defender, but his performances earned him a huge new contract.
Having signed that, Konsa’s fee will inevitably be higher this time around, with CIES Football Observatory estimating his value to be around £35m.
However, signing Konsa may not be as simple as it seems, and if Villa qualify for the Champions League, it’s unlikely he leaves.
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How Konsa can supercharge Dalot
The Portuguese defender is having a fine 2023/24 campaign, with it being without doubt his best in a Man United shirt.
Dalot has started 27 Premier League matches this season, becoming Ten Hag’s most reliable defender based on both availability and consistency.
The 25-year-old has developed into a rather complete full-back this season, registering three assists and being dribbled past 0.5 times per game, but he could develop a new role with the potential arrival of Konsa.
This season, Konsa has shown his versatility and vast skillset, being deployed as a centre half and a right back. Therefore, the Dutch boss could look to make a tactical tweak by moving to a back three in possession.
|
Konsa’s 23/24 PL Stats |
|
|---|---|
|
Stats (per game) |
Konsa |
|
Touches |
72.2 |
|
Pass accuracy |
93% |
|
Balls recovered |
4.2 |
|
Tackles |
1.4 |
|
Dribbled past |
0.1 |
|
Duels won |
4.7 |
|
Via Sofascore |
|
As you can see from the table above, Konsa would be perfectly suited to that wide right centre-back role, having already gained experience as a right-back.
Furthermore, Konsa has the best tackle success rate (91%) for a defender across all of Europe’s top five leagues, and he’s only dribbled past just 0.1 times per game, highlighting that he would lock down the right of the defence in transition.
This means that Dalot would be handed more freedom to showcase his creativity and dribbling much further up the field, like the assist he produced for Bruno Fernandes’ equaliser against Chelsea this week.
The England international is also extremely composed on the ball, as shown by his high touches and incredible pass accuracy, which would bring much more control to the United backline.
Overall, the “underrated” Konsa, as dubbed by journalist John Townley, has all the attributes to thrive at Man United while also not absolutely breaking the bank, making him potentially the perfect signing this summer.
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