Manchester United can begin Harry Maguire succession plan and beat Arsenal to £18m defensive gem

Manchester United will need to overhaul the squad in the summer, but what positions do they need to address?

In the previous two instalments of this transfer breakdown series, we touched on the goalkeeper position and also the right-back situation, which you can read here. This time around, we are going to look at a less pressing issue, but equally a position that United could look to solve if the opportunity presents itself.

And that is a fourth-choice centre-back who could become a long-term option for the club.

So, as always, we will break down the situation, the profile of the player United should target and then the player who I believe best suits United with all of those factors considered.

The situation

Manchester United have three centre-backs of starting quality in Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.

The issue, however, is that Maguire is in the midst of some of his worst form in a United shirt and Varane has been injured more often than he's not since signing last summer. This makes it hard for Ralf Rangnick to create a stable partnership that can consistently play together and there is also a further issue that the two centre-backs that occupy the fourth and fifth-choice spots present a steep drop-off in on-the-ball quality.

Eric Bailly has great defensive instincts and is able to put them to good use when fit but he too is plagued by consistent injury problems. In January, it also was reported that he wanted to leave Old Trafford and the summer looks like a good time for all parties to move on.

Phil Jones has been at the club three to four seasons too long and United should also look to move him on in the summer if they can find a club that is willing to sign him.

This means that United need to find a fourth-choice centre-back who does not present a significant drop-off in quality from their main trio. With that being said, this is not a position they will want to blow a significant chunk of any transfer budget on in the summer window.

The profile

United need to target a centre-back who is young but has enough first-team experience. They do not want to be stuck in a situation where they have to replace four defenders in a short period in the future, so around the 21-25 age bracket would be perfect.

If United are to become a possession-based team, the centre-back also has to be comfortable on the ball and able to distribute to the players around him comfortably. Other attributes such as agility, mobility and aerial ability would be preferable to have as well, to round out the player.

It also stands to reason that if United do sign a player in this position they will not want to spend a lot of money, so a player that is available for less than £20m would be preferable.

The top target

In these sorts of scenarios, Rangnick's Bundesliga connections may come in handy.

Nico Schlotterbeck has gained a lot of plaudits for his performances and he could present an interesting option but with reports stating Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are interested in the player, it seems unlikely United would be able to convince him to leave Germany.

Instead, they should look to Eintracht Frankfurt's Evan Ndicka. The French centre-back currently plays in a back three with the German club but he has all the attributes that would suggest he would have the ability to transition into a player who can play in a central defensive duo.

German outlet Bild has reported that the defender could be available for around £17.5m amid interest from Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain as his contract expires in 2023 but United would do well to swoop in at that price.

Frankfurt play a high line which helps in terms of their press and Ndicka has recorded 13.3 pressures per 90 minutes played which is very high for his position. And it is a direct result of the system they play.

This also affects his defensive numbers, with the centre-back recording 1.81 tackles, 1.78 interceptions and 2.43 blocks per 90 minutes played. For comparison, Maguire wins 1.29, 1.64 and 1.37 respectively in each of the metrics.

The 22-year-old defender is also dominant in the air, winning 4.32 aerial duels per 90 minutes played. Maguire, who is United's most-effective player in the air, only wins 3.88, which is still a high number but nowhere near Ndicka.

In terms of his passing, Ndicka completes 84.9% of his passes from around 57 attempted per 90 minutes played and 2.73 of these are progressive, which is considered average in his position.

Like the aforementioned Schlotterbeck, he likes to carry the ball into midfield, completing 3.13 per 90 minutes. At that price tag, he would be a significant upgrade on Bailly and Jones and possibly challenge the main trio for their starting positions in the near future.

Given the other positions that will need strengthening this summer, the idea of snapping up a cut-price defensive solution may be too good to turn down, particularly if it's at Arsenal's expense.