Why Manchester United signing Tyrone Mings would solve defensive issues
Back in July, a report from ESPN had mentioned Aston Villa star Tyrone Mings among the potential centre-back targets for Manchester United during the summer window.
Nathan Ake and AC Milan skipper Alessio Romagnoli were also understood to be on United’s shortlist but the Red Devils did not bring in any defensive reinforcements before the deadline.
Mings ended up staying put at Villa after the Midlands outfit somehow managed to stave off relegation. The England international has continued to impress as a regular starter at the back for Dean Smith’s side in the Premier League this season.
Profile
A youth exponent of Southampton, Tyrone Mings started his club career with Yate Town and Chippenham Town in non-league before rising to prominence with Ipswich Town in the Championship.
The defender’s exploits in the top-flight prompted Bournemouth to offer him a route to the Premier League in 2015 but Mings failed to establish himself as a regular starter on the south coast.
Mings joined Aston Villa on loan in the Championship for the second half of the 2018-19 campaign after managing a paltry 23 appearances for the Cherries over four-and-a-half seasons. The 27-year-old joined the Villans on a permanent £20million deal last summer, having helped the club secure a return to the top-flight via the playoffs.
The powerful centre-back has since featured 43 times for Villa in the top-flight, with his consistent form earning him recognition as an England international last year.
Mings would be an ideal partner for Maguire at Manchester United
Man United’s backline has shown ominous signs of crumbling under pressure in what has been a rather inconsistent start to the campaign for the Red Devils. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side currently sit 6th in the Premier League standings with 23 points accumulated from 12 games so far.
While that makes for some pretty decent readings on paper, the club’s exit from the group stages of the Champions League has undoubtedly increased the pressure on the manager.
United’s defensive flaws were badly exposed in defeats against Istanbul Basaksehir, PSG and RB Leipzig in the competition. The 6-1 hiding at home against Tottenham earlier in the season further underlines the club’s inconsistency at the back.
Putting things into context, Manchester United definitely need to reshape their backline with one eye on the future.
The Red Devils currently have plenty of deadwood in the centre-back department in the form of Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe and Timothy Fosu-Mensah. With none of those players apparently in the manager’s plans, United need to reduce the size of their squad to make room for new arrivals.
Reigniting interest in Tyrone Mings, to that end, would see Manchester United land themselves an ideal partner for Harry Maguire at the heart of the defence. While Victor Lindelof has blown hot and cold far too often, Mings has proven himself as a reliable operator at the back for Aston Villa in the Premier League over the past 18 months or so.
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Verdict
A towering centre-back standing at 6ft 5in with some decent top-flight experience under his belt, Tyrone Mings ticks plenty of boxes to come through the door at Old Trafford as an immediate game-changer at the back for Manchester United.
From a Southampton reject to an England international, Mings has come a long way in his career and still potentially has his best years ahead of him at 27. Having said that, United splashing the cash on the Aston Villa star would be an intelligent piece of business.
