As we reach the final stages of the English summer transfer window, Premier League clubs are doing their upmost to strengthen their squads.

One such club is Manchester United, with the Red Devils being linked with a host of central defenders.

Depending on where you get your news; United are closing in on deals for Bayern Munich’s Jerome Boateng, Leicester City’s Harry Maguire or Tottenham Hotspur star Toby Alderweireld.

Another name that keeps cropping up is Colombian defender Yerry Mina, who currently plays for FC Barcelona. Some reports suggest that Man United are willing to pay £35m for the centre-back.

Now Mina did impress during the recent World Cup with his national side, he managed to bag three goals including one against England.

Those performances showed that he’s a threat in the opposition penalty area, can win plenty of aerial battles, likes a tackle and can pass the ball too.

But you always have to be wary of signing a player on the back of a decent showing at a major international tournament. The other three players have more experience in European and/or Premier League football.

You also have to ask why Barcelona would be willing to sell the player after just eight months in Spain?

The big pacy centre-half only managed five La Liga appearances since his January move. The Spanish champions obviously don’t see the twenty-three year old breaking up the Samuel Umtiti/Gerard Pique partnership and are willing to cash in quickly on the player. Mina even struggled to dislodge injury prone Belgian Thomas Vermaelen as Barca’s back-up central defender.

What’s to say Mina can come to United and cement a place in their starting line-up?

It’s worth remembering Jose Mourinho has plenty of centre-backs to call upon. Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly, Marcos Rojo and Victor Lindelof are all still at Old Trafford and all seem to be favourites of their manager at different points of the season. Can Yerry come to Manchester and hold down at starting place above all those players?

Then you have to wonder if he can adapt to playing in the English top flight. His style might actually suit the Premier League more than La Liga but who knows? Lindelof certainly struggled at times last term.

Then you look at the fact that the Colombian has also been heavily linked with a move to Everton. Now I don’t want to disrespect The Toffees but United shouldn’t be looking at the same type of transfer targets as the Merseyside outfit.

Mourinho is a boss that prefers to go with proven experience rather than potential. I think he’d definetly prefer to see his team do a deal with Spurs for Toby Alderweireld. The Manchester Evening News have just reported that Man Utd have made a take it or leave it final offer for the Belgian international.

If it’s Yerry Mina that arrives before the transfer window slams shut then I’d guess that the Manchester United hierarchy have failed in delivering Jose Mourinho’s top targets and have settled on a defender that couldn’t make the breakthrough at the Camp Nou.

Posted on August 7th, 2018 by scott
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