4
Manchester United’s form under Erik ten Hag has taken a spectacular nosedive compared to his first season due to the numerous injuries suffered all over the pitch.
The defence has been the worst hit, with last season’s formidable pairing of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez both suffering long-term injuries.
To make matters worse, Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans, Victor Lindelof, and almost all the full-backs have been sidelined for varying lengths of time which has necessitated a constant reshuffling at the back.
The manager had always planned to strengthen at the back in the summer but due to Maguire’s move to West Ham collapsing at the last moment, no incomings apart from a free deal for the Northern Irishman was possible.
Mengi sold
The Red Devils also ended up moving on promising academy graduates Axel Tuanzebe and Teden Mengi permanently with the current Luton Town star impressing.
The form shown in training by Willy Kambwala, who recently made his first-team debut against West Ham, was another reason why the club were open to the 21-year-old’s sale.
The England U20 international, who had made his United debut under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, was seen as a highly promising prospect capable of becoming a first-team regular only for injuries to derail his progress.
🟠 Understand Fulham and Crystal Palace are now following Luton Town’s CB Teden Mengi for the future.
He has become one of PL promising youngsters by leading U-21 players with the highest percentage of defensive duels won in Europe’s top 5 leagues this campaign. pic.twitter.com/KDLwb6nNZV
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 4, 2024
The defender had enjoyed loan spells in the EFL Championship at both Derby County and Birmingham and the Red Devils opted to cash in during the summer window for an undisclosed fee.
The centre-back has impressed for the Hatters in their first season in the Premier League and has made 15 appearances in all competitions, scoring once.
Mengi has the highest percentage of defensive duels won in Europe’s top 5 leagues this campaign among all the U21 players and these stats have led to increased interest from bigger teams.
PL big-wigs chasing Mengi
As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Fulham and Crystal Palace are eyeing a summer move for the defensive ace, which once again goes on to show the magnitude of United’s error in the summer.
“Understand Fulham and Crystal Palace are now following Luton Town’s CB Teden Mengi for the future,” the Italian wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“He has become one of PL promising youngsters by leading U-21 players with the highest percentage of defensive duels won in Europe’s top 5 leagues this campaign.”
So many academy graduates who left in the summer like Matej Kovar, Anthony Elanga, and Charlie Savage have been proving United’s decision to let them go wrong and it seems Mengi has also joined the list.
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.
