Manchester United could reportedly make a move for Netherlands international Denzel Dumfries this summer, with Inter Milan looking to sell some of their key players to generate funds.
Dumfries only made the move to Inter last summer from PSV after impressing at Euro 2020, and the defender has quickly established himself as one of the best right-backs in Europe. But, with their wage budget frozen after the loan signing of Romelu Lukaku, chief executive Beppe Marotta is looking to regain funds in player sales, with Dumfries reportedly available for £34m, according to Calciomercato.
With Erik ten Hag's transfer stance on chasing players with history in the Eredivisie, the 26-year-old could be of interest to United. Aaron Wan-Bissaka has dropped out of contention over the last few months at United, and Diogo Dalot will need some competition, despite his strong form in pre-season.
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So, if Dumfries was to sign for United, how could he perform? Could he be the final part of United's defensive puzzle?
We 'signed' Denzel Dumfries for Man United
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for Dumfries to join United in the summer transfer window from Inter Milan. The likes of Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen were also included in the squad.
At the beginning of the season both Dumfries and Dalot battled it out for the right-back position as they rotated often, but a few months in the Dutch international had claimed the spot as his. In all competitions, Dumfries made 39 appearances, with 36 of those starts.
In those 39 games, the 26-year-old scored once and assisted seven - the goal being an 89th-minute winner against Arsenal in the Premier League. Over the course of the season, Dumfries averaged a rating of 7.25 per game, the highest of any defender in the United squad. It was also the fourth highest overall, with only David De Gea (7.29), Fred (7.37) and Jadon Sancho (7.43) rating higher.
As well as having the best rating and registering the most assists out of the defenders, Dumfries also had a 92% pass completion and an 80% tackle success rate.
His pass completion was the third highest behind Victor Lindelof (93 per cent) and Martinez (94 per cent), and his tackle completion was also the third highest, behind Raphael Varane (88 per cent) and Martinez (93 per cent). Martinez had a fantastic first season under Ten Hag.
At the end of the 2022-23 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best United XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what United's best XI looked like at the end of the 2022-23 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:
Full United best XI (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Dumfries, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Fred, Eriksen; Sancho, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial.
Two of United's three new defenders made the best XI from the 2022/23 season, with Dumfries and Martinez starting alongside Varane and Luke Shaw. Fred played alongside Eriksen in midfield, while Anthony Martial led the line, scoring 22 goals in all competitions compared to Cristiano Ronaldo's 14.
United's results from the Dumfries simulation
United showed incredible improvement in the Premier League under Ten Hag as they reclaimed a UEFA Champions League spot and finished fourth. United earned 75 points across the season — a whopping 17 more points than the previous season.
Ten Hag's side drew four and lost three games fewer than last season, and they also improved going forward and defensively, with the new additions at the back making a difference. United conceded 16 goals fewer than the 2021/22 campaign while also scoring 15 more at the other end.
With Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Martial and Bruno Fernandes all playing their best, the quartet combined for 45 goals, not to mention a further 10 from Ronaldo. An impressive Premier League campaign was also topped off with an intriguing run in the Europa League.
United made it all the way to the final of the Europa League where they faced German side RB Leipzig, but Ten Hag's side fell flat and were defeated 3-1. A 3-0 loss to Liverpool saw United knocked out in the FA Cup semi-final, and a penalty shootout defeat to Wolves resulted in elimination in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Overall, this Football Manager simulation predicts that the addition of Dumfries would make a big impact on United's defence, with the Netherlands international becoming United's highest-rated defender in the simulation. As well as his defensive talent, his attacking input helped improve United at both ends as Ten Hag's side reclaimed a top four spot and made a European cup final.
Would you like to see Dumfries sign for Manchester United this summer? Let us know in the comments!
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