Manchester United have kept just one clean sheet in their last eight matches.
In that time they have conceded 12 goals and won just twice. You have to go back almost two months to February 15 to find a time when United kept a clean sheet and won a match - a 2-0 home win over 10-man Brighton.
On Saturday, it was the turn of the attackers to bear the brunt of the criticism as United slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Everton. A deflected winner from Anthony Gordon could hardly be blamed on the defence, who didn’t concede for the rest of the game, while their frontmen failed to find the net against a side who have shipped 52 goals in 30 league games this season.
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However, it’s evident that the backline needs a revamp with the team currently on a five-game streak without a clean sheet. To make matters worse, Raphael Varane sat out the defeat to the Toffees with yet another injury problem. It means he has missed 15 games for United this term - not ideal for a player the club only brought in last summer. Victor Lindelof, as a result, has been given more game time this season than even he probably expected.
But many United supporters are not convinced he has the quality to carry the club to the next level, especially when compared to Varane who has a World Cup and four Champions League winner's medals at home. Harry Maguire’s struggles this season have been well-documented, though the captain remains a fixture in the starting XI.
So, while it’s apparent that the Old Trafford hierarchy are targeting a central midfielder this summer with Paul Pogba set to leave, some may argue that a centre-back should also be on their wish list. Tottenham have been keeping tabs on RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol for a number of weeks after putting in impressive displays for the German club.
This season he has been one of the league’s shining stars. The 20-year-old Croat has helped Leipzig to two wins over Borussia Dortmund this campaign with the club firmly on course for Champions League qualification once again.
In fact, he has been rated as the highest-valued talent under the age of 23 who made their debut within Europe’s top five leagues this season. CIES Football Observatory calculates the supposed price of such youngsters based on performance and statistics.
In its most recently published results, it ranks Gvardiol as the most valuable player in the category by some distance. It says he is worth €96.2m (£80.5m), €36m (£30m) more than second-placed Dominik Szoboszlai, Gvardiol’s teammate. For comparison, the in-form Marc Guehi - who earned his first Three Lions cap last month - is the highest-valued English under-23 player in a debut season at €50m (£42m).
Although United may be wary of the price tag, his potential is deemed to be huge. He has played all but two Bundesliga games for Leipzig this season, meaning his reliability can be trusted. Erik ten Hag, who is being strongly linked with the United full-time job, is known for helping youngsters realise their full capacity.
He guided a youthful Ajax side containing the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Donny van de Beek to within a minute of the Champions League final in 2019. Although expensive, a move for Gvardiol - who has helped to keep 11 clean sheets across all competitions this term - may be a good way to start the United for a rebuild.
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