According to latest reports, Manchester United have entered the race to sign Atletico Madrid‘s defensive ace Diego Godin. The Uruguayan international has also been linked with a move to Italian giants Juventus and it seems likely that the player will leave the Spanish outfit as he enters in his final year of the contract with the club.
The 32-year-old has been impressive in the World cup as well, as his side Uruguay are yet to concede a goal. The veteran has been a stalwart at the back for Diego Simeone over the past few years as their sides have challenged heavyweights like Real Madrid and Barcelona. The defender played a big role in their La Liga title triumph a few years back and the 32-year-old is one of the most reliable centre-backs in the world currently.
Manchester United will be looking to mount a better challenge in the upcoming season and Jose Mourinho will be under a whole lot of pressure to deliver with the goods. Their style of play has been panned by pundits and fans alike and the fact that they ended up trophyless, has put more pressure on the ‘Special One’. It seems like the Portuguese tactician isn’t going to stop at anything to achieve his goals as one usually doesn’t see United going in for a 32-year-old player. The defender could be available for a tempting fee of £18m.
Age seems to be just a number for Godin as he is still going strong at the back for his club and country. United were defensively solid the last term but that was largely down to the fact that they defended in numbers and they had an influential goalkeeper in David De Gea.
The likes of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones are inconsistent and they are prone to errors every now and then. Victor Lindelof has failed to adjust to life in the Premier League and Marcos Rojo’s time at Old Trafford has often been plagued by injuries. So a centre back seems like a topmost priority for Mourinho in the upcoming season as he looks to build his team to challenge their fiercest rivals Manchester City who ran away with the league title uncontested.
Godin will be a solid short-term term solution for United and such is today’s day and age that the fans and board want instant success and as a result, the manager needs to go after a proven option instead of giving an untested youth a chance at the top level.
