Incoming Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been handed the perfect chance to rebuild a weakness in the club's squad that interim boss Ralf Rangnick recently blasted.
Ten Hag will inherit a mess when he finally takes charge of the Red Devils at the end of the season. United have endured a dreadful campaign and are set to miss out on the chance to qualify for the Champions League next year.
They have fallen some way behind Manchester City, having finished second to Pep Guardiola's men last term. Ten Hag is the man charged with reversing that tailspin and is expected to conduct a total overhaul of his squad.
One of the main position groups in desperate need of a refresh is in defence, with United possessing the worst goals conceded record in the top seven. It is a problem that has frustrated interim boss Rangnick, who blasted his side's backline following their win over Norwich.
"They (the goals conceded) were too easy, we are the only team in the league who concedes goals like this. After we scored our second goal we should have made life easier for ourselves but we didn't. We lost our structure and weren't aggressive enough," Rangnick fumed.
"It's about being clever and smart. All of a sudden it was 2-2 and David de Gea kept us in the game. But we definitely have to raise our play. We played well at times but we sometimes slowed the game down and didn't make use of overlap situations on the wing. Defensively I was not happy at all."
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But Ten Hag may now have the chance to finally fix those issues, with a number of United's defenders set to depart. According to the Manchester Evening News, outcasts Eric Bailly and Phil Jones have 'outlined their intention' to depart Old Trafford.
Bailly only signed a new contract last year, but that is now seen as being a 'mistake' given he has made just five starts this season. Jones meanwhile has battled valiently back from a chronic knee problem, but his time in Manchester appears to be over.
If the duo do move on, it would pave the way for Ten Hag to bring in much-needed reinforcements at centre-back. The Dutchman may also have the perfect chance to overhaul his options at right-back.
According to BBC Sport, Crystal Palace are 'considering' a move for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has fallen out of favour at United this season. Diogo Dalot has instead become the first-choice at fullback, despite United having paid £50m to sign Wan-Bissaka in 2019.
A loan deal is the most likely scenario, with Palace looking for younger options in the position. Wan-Bissaka has long been questioned for his suitability to a team expected to attack such as United.
And if the Englishman returns to Selhurst Park, Ten Hag will certainly be able to replace him with a player more suited to his style. Just weeks after Rangnick's blast, it would appear that his incoming replacement will be able to make huge steps in solving the issue.
