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Manchester United have lost as many games as they have won this season and have also dropped out of Europe altogether and it is not even Christmas.
The Red Devils followed up their dismantling at the hands of Bournemouth in the Premier League by finishing bottom of their group in the Champions League after their 0-1 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich.
Manager Erik ten Hag now has a trip to Liverpool to contend with and considering the club’s current predicament, fans must be fearing a repeat of last season.
Defensive issues
United ended up conceding the joint-second most goals in the group stages of Europe’s premier competition and have let in three or more goals nine times this term.
Injuries and poor form have not helped with United set to travel to Anfield without as many as 13 first-team stars after Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw were added to the list which contains Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof as well.
Raphael Varane, who made his first start in almost two months, has fallen down the pecking order and the club is reportedly open to moving him on in January.
It is clear that defensive recruitment is needed with the club being linked to the likes of Marc Guehi, Jean-Clair Todibo, and Antonio Silva to name a few.
However, one player who might be difficult to acquire in January is Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, who is said to be Ten Hag’s “prime target” for January, due to the Toffees’ stance regarding a potential fee.
The Merseyside outfit have seen the likes of Chelsea pay £75 million to Leicester City for Wesley Fofana and that is what they value the 21-year-old at.
Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with the England U21 international and while a significant sum generated would help with Everton’s FFP issues, a summer move looks more likely at this stage.
Branthwaite deal looks difficult
The Goodison Park outfit are battling relegation after their 10-point deduction and Sean Dyche will be desperate to keep a hold of his defensive star.
“Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite but any deal will have to be an incredibly expensive one, TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal.
“Everton are viewing deals such as the £75 million package agreed to bring Wesley Fofana to Chelsea from Leicester City as an example of the price they hope to secure for the England under-21 international.”
United’s exit from the Champions League means revenue has already been hit and any large outlay will likely need to be balanced out by outgoings. There is very little chance that a deal of such magnitude can be completed in the winter window.
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