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Manchester United are being rumoured with a move for a promising Portuguese centre-back, the club he currently plays for wanting in the region of £103m to part ways with their exciting youngster.
Where are Man United in the table?
Man United’s current predicament shows you why the Red Devils are contemplating a move for a fresh centre-back, Erik ten Hag’s men leaky in defence this season so far – shipping 12 goals in eight Premier League matches to date, leaving them with a -3 goal difference.
It doesn’t get any better when you look at their defensive woes in the Champions League, conceding four goals away to Bayern Munich whilst charitable defending from Man Utd versus Galatasaray allowed their Turkish opponents to put three goals past them.
News that Man United are potentially preparing a big bid for a defender also shouldn’t come as a shock with recent developments around Harry Maguire’s future.
The England international’s future at Old Trafford is very much up in the air with Maguire himself commenting on the fact he isn’t “playing anywhere near as much” as he would like for his club in an England press conference.
Man United are preparing for Maguire’s exit, linked with Benfica starlet Antonio Silva per Portuguese newspaper Record, via Sport Witness.
Antonio Silva transfer update
Reported via the Record, it looks as if Man United are very much interested in the 19-year-old Liga Portugal star.
United are interested not only in Silva but also Gonçalo Inácio, another young centre-back impressing in Liga Portugal with Benfica’s rivals in Sporting.
According to reports, the Red Devils are considering the signing of Silva not only for his raw potential but also the ‘immediate quality’ he possesses which he has showcased for Benfica recently.
Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot are even working the charm offensive on Silva if reports are true, both Man Utd players attempting to make their fellow compatriot link up with the duo at club level too away from just International football. However, they may well have to pay a club-record €120m (£103m), the asking price of Benfica.
How good is Antonio Silva?
If Silva was to move to Old Trafford, he could make a solid partnership with Lisandro Martinez at the back to solve the Red Devils’ defensive woes.
At just 19 years of age, Silva has already made 53 appearances for Benfica and has gone on to gain International recognition with five caps at senior level for Portugal after representing his country at youth level.
Standing tall at 6 foot 2, Silva is an imposing centre-back presence for his team – moulding his game on Ruben Dias, who Silva has looked towards as an inspiration during his development.
Silva is also renowned for popping up with a goal from centre-back – scoring six times for Benfica in 56 appearances, even netting this season versus Estoril Praia, his goal proving to be decisive in a 1-0 away win.
With the future of Maguire hanging in the balance, and other United defenders ageing in the form of Raphael Varane, Silva could well be the long-term option to slot into the side next to Martinez.
Whilst Martinez is more daring on the ball with ascents forward from the mobile Argentine defender commonplace, Silva would sit back and ensure that the backline wasn’t breached with aggressive tackling and calmness on the ball, something that’s best evidenced by his impressive 94% pass accuracy. To put that into context, Martinez is as equally as composed, boasting a 93% pass success rate.
It remains to be seen whether or not Ten Hag does break the bank for the 19-year-old, but Man Utd will have to start thinking about the future sooner rather than later when it comes to new faces at the club.
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