Erik ten Hag has been forced to put makeshift centre-back partnerships together this season despite adding to that area over the summer with the arrival of Jonny Evans on a free transfer.
Going into the summer, Ten Hag’s first-choice partnership of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane had both ended the campaign with serious injuries but both players recovered in time to feature in pre-season.
They have both, however, experienced similar issues in the new campaign, with Varane only recently returning from his latest setback.
Martinez missed the final two months of his debut season and after returning for the start of this season, he has now been sidelined for at least two months after aggravating the injury that halted his 2022/23 season in the first place.
United were said to be in the market for a centre-back in the summer transfer window that just passed but the club’s finances were distributed across other areas, with Ten Hag prioritising moves for a midfielder, striker and goalkeeper.
Jean-Clair Todibo, the former Barcelona star, is one of Ligue 1’s outstanding defenders as he continues to shine for OGC Nice and he was said to be a player Ten Hag was keen on.
A move never materialised and there is no telling how serious United’s interest was but now, journalist and transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on the situation.
“It depends on the Harry Maguire situation but Jean-Clair Todibo remains a player appreciated by Manchester United, so they will keep tracking and scouting him,” Romano told CaughtOffside.
“Also, Tapsoba from Bayer Leverkusen who was on the list at Tottenham, remains a player appreciated by United but it’s not an easy deal because he extended his contract at Bayer Leverkusen a couple of weeks ago.
“Another player that Man United keep following and keep scouting from what I’m hearing is Antonio Silva from Benfica and, for sure, they will add more players to the list.”
At this stage, it looks like United are still considering their options ahead of a potential move in the upcoming January window or next summer.
Todibo would, undeniably, be a good addition to the squad but there could be an argument that United need to invest in other areas first.
