If any single position has summed up Manchester United’s years of mediocrity it has been in central defence and their inability to recruit the kind of talents required.
Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer both splashed the cash in the area, but endured a who’s who of high-profile transfer misses. During the former’s tenure, United spent heavily on centre-backs, with Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof costing more than £60million combined.
Neither have ever truly lived up to the billing and find themselves out of the side, with the former having been told he is surplus to requirements. Solskjaer was also given massive funds to solve what has increasingly become a problem area. The £80m fee splashed out on Harry Maguire in 2019 was supposed to have a similarly galvanising impact to that of Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool.
But despite being named the club’s captain, the England international is yet to prove worthy of his standing as the world’s most expensive defender, with many supporters believing an upgrade is required. Fortunately for Maguire, new boss Erik ten Hag doesn’t appear to agree with those sentiments and has confirmed he will remain as captain in his first season in the dugout.
“Harry Maguire is the captain,” the Dutchman explained at the start of their pre-season tour. “Of course, I have to get to know all the players and it takes time. But he is an established captain for a few years and he has achieved a lot of success, so I don't doubt about this issue.”
Raphael Varane was signed from Real Madrid to get the best out of Maguire last season, but injuries and difficulty adjusting to the Premier League ensured their defensive struggles remained. Ten Hag has been linked with several defenders throughout the summer, including Lisandro Martinez - although he can also operate in midfield.
But the Red Devils may have missed out on a long-term solution that was available for as little as £15m just 12 months ago. According to the Sun, United’s technical director Darren Fletcher was a huge admirer of then Stoke City defender Nathan Collins.
Fletcher had the inside track on Collins having spent time at the bet365 Stadium as the Irishman came through the academy, with a fear that an offer could be forthcoming for their academy graduate.
United opted to not follow through with any bid for Collins, before he found his way to the Premier League with Burnley. And despite the Clarets’ eventual relegation, the 21-year-old established himself as one of the most promising young defenders in the top flight.
Just a season on, Collins is back on the move, signing for Wolves in a deal worth £20.5m, signing a five-year contract at Molineux. And ex-footballer Roddy Collins, thinks the top six may have missed a trick on a player he tips to eventually cost more than £100m.
"I see a lot of similarities between Collins and Paul McGrath, in terms of his ability with the ball at his feet, his strength and the way he plays with his head up," Collins told the Irish Daily Star.
"He is one of our best prospects in a long, long time. His age and ability means that if someone told me he was an €80m player I wouldn’t bat an eyelid.
"Honestly, someone is going to buy him for €40m and then sell him for over €120m (£101m). That’s how good he is. It is very hard to get excited about defenders, but this kid has the ability to be a world class defender and more. If he stays free of serious injury and continues to apply himself properly, we are looking at an absolute superstar.
"People talk about Declan Rice going for €100m, so why not Collins? He can do the same job as Rice, in my opinion, and more again. I don’t believe Rice could play centre-back at international level the way Nathan Collins can. If he was English, he’d be in Gareth Southgate’s team by now."
