The ship is being righted at Old Trafford. Manchester United sit fourth in the Premier League table with 25 points, enough to qualify for the UEFA Champions League if the season ended today. That, however, is smoke and mirrors.
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Of the top seven clubs in England, only West Ham United (17) have conceded more goals than the Red Devils (16). Poor defending will be enough to derail the progress made in Manchester.
Enter Diego Godin.
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The Atletico Madrid center-back has been heavily linked with United, with the club reportedly prepared to launch a £15.7 million bid in the January transfer window. The Uruguay international is believed to have a £28.5 million release clause in his contract. Undoubtedly, the bid will fall short, prompting Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone to scoff at the reports.
"Let's talk about something else," Simeone said when asked about the pursuit of Godin (via Goal). "How much? Twenty [million Euros] for Godin? It must be a mistake."
In 13 league appearances with Madrid, Godin is averaging a modest 5.1 clearances, well below the averages of United's Patrick Mcnair (six), Chris Smalling (6.6) and Phil Jones (6.8). But at 28, Godin brings a level of mature defending Old Trafford currently lacks. Composed on the ball, the Uruguayan is known for his ability to help build from the back, not emergency defend, something manager Louis van Gaal desperately needs.
If it's quality defending United seek, £15.7 million won't be enough to procure it.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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