Manchester United’s defensive problems are a growing concern and the club is looking to bolster the squad by adding Stefan De Vrij from Lazio in the summer. His contract is due to end after this season but the club is optimistic of an extension which will reportedly have a release clause of £20m. Signing him for free would be a dream for United, but it looks like they will have to shell just over a quarter of what Liverpool paid for Virgil van Dijk.
De Vrij first arrived at Lazio in the summer of 2014 from Feyenoord for an undisclosed fee and has so far registered 6 goals in 91 appearances for the Serie A outfit. 3 of those goals came this season and that is impressive for a player who spends the majority of his minutes in his team’s own half. A centre-back by trade, De Vrij has established himself as a first-team regular both for Lazio as well as the Netherlands national team. He has appeared 31 times for his country and was one of the priority targets of the ex-United boss, Louis Van Gaal. The 25-year-old primarily developed his game in the Netherlands before making a significant mark in Europe with the White And Blues.
United have been without Eric Bailey since November of last year and the defensive backline has looked less than impressive in recent times. Phil Jones has struggled to find a consistent bit of form and very unimaginatively guided in Kevin Trippier’s grounded cross into his own goal in the 0-2 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on 1st February.
Chris Smalling has also been an uninspiring presence and has a tendency to drift off in between games. Daley blind has hardly featured for the team at all this season and Mourinho was ready to offload him in January. Victor Lindelof’s game still requires a decent amount of development and the Swede will need a season or two to settle into the lead role as a centre-half.
With their town rivals running away with the Premier League trophy, Mourinho still hopes of making a strong statement in the Champions League. They are about to face Sevilla in the Round of 16 next week and the former Galactico manager is hoping to see Bailey return to the lineup. “They are working on the pitch but not yet with us as a group so they are not very close to a return. I want to believe that by Champions League time, around the end of the month, they will be back.”
The next season will be a final straw for Mourinho after being allowed to purchase almost anybody he wanted. De Vrij will be a quality arrival in the summer and will definitely help the Portuguese get his hands on some silverware.
