Why Manchester United signing Dan-Axel Zagadou would be a good long-term move
According to Calciomercato (h/t ESPN), Manchester United have turned their attention to Dan-Axel Zagadou of Borussia Dortmund. The Red Devils are looking for defensive reinforcements after a poor start to the season. Zagadou is the latest defender in line to be linked with the Old Trafford based club.
Profile
Zagadou, 21, started out with the academy of US Creteil and moved to Paris Saint-Germain’s youth setup. Having come through the ranks at PSG, he couldn’t make it to the French outfit’s senior team. He was then picked up by Dortmund in the summer of 2017 and has gone on to make 60 appearances for the German side, scoring 4 goals.
The youngster has shown immense potential but has been used as an understudy to Mats Hummels throughout the campaign under Lucien Favre. He has been fairly solid whenever he has been asked to carry out the defensive duties.
A ruptured knee ligament has kept the young defender out of action since August. He is expected to return to fitness pretty soon though. He has played a lot of football for the French youth side and is currently a part of the U-21s with 6 appearances and 2 goals so far.
Zagadou can be a good long-term solution to Manchester United’s defensive problems
Quite how Manchester United have spent millions on central defenders and yet find themselves in search of a competent defender is beyond logic. A lot of money has been spent on the likes of Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire.
The way they lost 3 semi-finals last season was just due to comical defending. Zero awareness of the ball and incoming attackers, lack of mobility and many such issues were on display.
Even this season, nothing seems to have changed as the club have already conceded 14 goals in 7 games, 6 of which were shipped in their game against Tottenham. It all reached peak levels when they lost to Istanbul in the Champions League in inexplicable fashion.
Zagadou looks like a viable solution to their defensive problems. He may have faced some injury issues in the last few seasons, however, that does not take away the fact that he remains a very good defensive prospect.
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His physical stature could be a good asset to the team and well suited to the Premier League. Given he remains behind Hummels and Akanji, it might be easier for United to prise him away from Dortmund. He fits the type of player United have signed in recent seasons – young and talented.
