Last season’s horror show at the back prompted manager Erik ten Hag to focus on improving Manchester United’s defense as soon as he was appointed.
The Dutch manager managed to convince Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez to join him in Manchester and both have played a part in United’s current four-game Premier League winning run.
Martinez and his partner in central defense Raphael Varane have been a rock at the back, with United conceding just two goals as the duo started while keeping three clean sheets in five games.
Utd have found their first choice center pair
The growing reliance on the centre-back pairing has meant that club captain Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof have found themselves on the bench in most games.
???? Manchester City are ready to battle arch-rivals Man United for the signing of Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni
???? The 23-year-old is valued at around £50m
[@Gazzetta_it] ????#MCFC #PL #UCL
— Gabriel (@Doozy_45) September 24, 2022
In fact, since the Brentford thrashing, Maguire and Lindelof have only made one start and the Red Devils ended up losing that game.
But Ten Hag has always maintained that the chances will come considering the hectic schedule. United will play 13 times in just over a month, starting with the all-important Manchester Derby.
In the event that one of the two cannot dislodge the current pair, they might look to move away. And United’s Dutch manager wants to continue to improve and is targeting the right players to do so.
Next season, United could have the chance to improve their defense further, as Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni’s contract is due to expire in 2024.
Manchester clubs will fight for Bastoni
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, “both Man United and Man City are preparing to test Inter’s resolve in 2023, while Tottenham are also taking a backseat.”
The imposing centre-back is yet to agree to a new contract and the Nerazzurri could be tempted to cash in that case.
The report also mentions that interested parties could need to shell out up to £50m if they want to take the international from Italy.
City brought in Manuel Akanji during the sacking of Aymeric Laporte, but knowing Pep Guardiola, he will once again be looking to revamp his defense as he looks to continue his dominance in the Premier League.
Bastoni’s former manager Antonio Conte came close to bringing him to Spurs and the race is sure to heat up in the next transfer window.
The consummate defender won the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana with Inter Milan, while also being part of Italy’s Euro 2020 winning squad.
