Dimitar Berbatov believes Manchester United have no need for another ball-playing defender, with Victor Lindelof and Phil Jones providing more than enough quality.
There have been many calls from United fans for the board to back Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the January transfer window and allow the Norwegian to bring another centre-back into the club, with Matthijs de Ligt one of the main names in the frame.
Do Man Utd need a new centre-back? Five key things to know…
- Man Utd already have Lindelof, Jones, Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo at their disposal in central defence.
- During Mourinho’s managerial reign, the Portuguese constantly changed his starting pair.
- As a result, Man Utd have conceded more goals (32) than any other club in the Premier League top six.
- Ajax youngster Matthijs de Ligt has been a rumoured target for the Red Devils recently.
- But Dimitar Berbatov believes Phil Jones and Victor Lindelof have enough quality to excel at Old Trafford.
However, Berbatov claims the Red Devils have enough at the back and should focus on developing the players already their disposal, rather than ploughing more money into the transfer market.
Speaking ahead of Man United’s game against Reading, Berbatov admitted he has changed his mind on United’s transfer needs, telling Betfair: “I have said in this column before that United need a new ball-playing centre-back.
“But the likes of Lindelof and Jones are now showing that they are more than capable of bringing the ball out so they don’t need anyone else.
“Ole instead needs to focus on bringing the best out of the players already on the books and there have been some good signs there already, with Marcus Rashford looking very sharp and even Alexis Sanchez joining the party at Newcastle with an excellent assist.
“The FA Cup match against Reading will be a good chance for the likes of Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku to show the new manager that they deserve starting positions against Spurs.”
What does Solskjaer expect from Man Utd in the transfer window?
Given his position as caretaker manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has insisted he is focused upon improving the players already at his disposal, although he admitted he will give his opinion on transfer targets to Ed Woodward.
The Norwegian, who has won his first five games in charge at Old Trafford, said: “I’m sure they’ve got plans, but this transfer window has probably been planned since the summer and the year before.
“The structure is phenomenal, so I’m sure they’ve got their targets, I’m here to voice my opinion on that and I’m sure we’ll sit down, me and Ed, if they’ve got anything in the pipeline.
“I’m here to work with the ones I’ve got, they’ve all performed and as long as they perform they should get a chance but that’s my job to improve players and individuals.”
Man United’s next game is away to Tottenham Hotspur, their biggest test under Solskjaer to date.
The post Lindelof & Jones are showing Man Utd don’t need a new ball-playing CB – Berbatov appeared first on Squawka News.
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