Man Utd eyeing Varane upgrade who’d be a “monster” next to Martinez

Injuries. All teams deal with them, but some suffer worse than others, particularly if they all occur to players in the same position, which was the case at Manchester United last season.

Erik ten Hag is adamant that it’s arguably the biggest reason why his side has underperformed this campaign, and in truth, it’s difficult to disagree with him.

The centre-back position has been the problem, and with Raphael Varane leaving this summer, a replacement has to be lined up.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at a Man Utd target who’d be a fantastic partner for Lisandro Martinez.

Man Utd’s search for new defender

According to a recent report from The Guardian, Man Utd are looking at Trevoh Chalobah.

It’s mentioned that the Blues defender could be on his way out of the club, and with Chelsea set to sign Tosin Adarabioyo from Fulham, the competition amongst the defence is high.

Therefore, due to his uncertain future at Stamford Bridge, Chalobah has “emerged as a target” for INEOS.

In order to acquire the signature of the English ace, Sir Jim Ratcliffe would have to fork out a figure of around £25m.

Why Chalobah would be brilliant alongside Martinez

Chalobah isn’t necessarily a player that would be at the top of the list of transfer targets for Man United, but he’s certainly one that could have a huge impact on the side.

The 24-year-old has been a consistent performer every time he stepped on the field for Chelsea last season, despite missing a lot of the early stages of the campaign through injury.

This meant that the Englishman only made ten starts in the Premier League, making 13 appearances in total, with his first coming at the end of February.

However, his influence can be judged by this one statistic alone: Chelsea didn’t lose a single Premier League game that Chalobah started, which also gives an indication of how he could impact United.

As you can see from the table above showcasing their statistics from the 22/23 season, Chalobah and United’s Argentine would be a fantastic partnership, while it could be argued that the Chelsea ace would be an upgrade on Varane.

Both centre-backs are extremely comfortable on the ball, rarely giving possession away cheaply while also being progressive, which would enable United to assert more control.

This would be particularly useful when playing against a tough opponent who utilises a press, such as Liverpool, as United have tended to go incredibly long spells without the ball against quality opposition.

On the other hand, Chalobah and Martinez are also both proactive defenders who can thrive when playing in a high line and when defending their own box, whereas Varane is slightly less dynamic than the aforementioned duo.

From another out-of-possession perspective, what would make Chalobah a “monster” alongside Martinez – as he was labelled by scout Jacek Kulig – is the fact that he’s comfortable with defending wide zones.

This is due to his experience playing as a makeshift right back and a wide centre back, and his dominance would make United less vulnerable when the opponent hits them on the break, which is a huge reason why he’d be an upgrade on the French defender.

Overall, signing Chalobah for £25m does seem like great value for money, and if he can remain fit, he’d be a superb centre-half for the Red Devils.