It was very evident that Manchester United needed defensive reinforcements after last season where the club conceded 57 times to finish with a goal difference of 0.
Erik ten Hag was brought in to turn United’s fortunes around and set about recruiting left-footed defenders as he felt his new club lacked variation and most players had similar profiles.
Harry Maguire was deployed primarily as a left-back in previous regimes, but his general lack of pace and an alarming drop in form meant a new defender was required, while Luke Shaw’s on-and-off career failed to impress the Dutch manager.
And Ten Hag quickly secured the signing of Feyenoord’s Tyrell Malacia and has since usurped Shaw from left back.
The capture of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax was a protracted affair, but in the end, the Red Devils secured his signing and the Argentine has firmly entrenched himself in the hearts of United supporters with his displays of action.
Akanji makes things clear
One defender United could have pursued in the summer was Manuel Akanji, a self-confessed United fan. He had even mentioned in the past that he would love to move to Old Trafford.
However, it was their cross-town rivals Manchester City who ended up signing the Swiss international for a fee of €18m, much lower than his market value.
Upon completing the move, the former Borussia Dortmund defender was invariably asked to clarify his earlier comments about him being a United fan.
Manuel Akanji:[I am looking forward] to the manchester derby [the most]. Beating Man United in your own city would be great.” [via @Blick_Sport]
— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) September 12, 2022
Akanji’s response, quoted by Blick, was: “I gave this interview shortly after I moved to Dortmund. I said that I was a fan of Manchester United growing up, but when you reach a certain level as a player, you are no longer a fan.
“Because then you play against those clubs, you don’t support this club like you did in your childhood. And then the second part was a misunderstanding.”
Regarding the misunderstanding, the 27-year-old further clarified: “In this context, they also asked me what my goal was. I said that he would eventually play for the best club in the world.
“From this it was concluded that I consider Manchester United to be the best club in the world and that I really wanted to play for Manchester United one day, which I never said.”
Up Next Derby Challenge
Many times modern footballers end up competing against their favorite childhood team and Akanji was no different. When he was a player for FC Basel, he had the opportunity to face the 20-time English champions.
And games like that were the ones that ultimately changed the City defender’s view of football.
“I played the Champions League against Manchester United and that’s when idols became rivals. I got to a point where I stopped being a fan and wanted to do my own job well enough to beat teams like Manchester United.”
Interestingly, due to matches being postponed following Queen’s death, Ten Hag’s men will face their biggest test of the season as Premier League action resumes with the explosive Manchester derby.
“The match I look forward to the most is the Manchester derby. To be able to beat United in our hometown would be incredible.”
And Akanji will be desperate to prove his point in that contest.
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