Manchester United have had an up-and-down season so far, which has put the club sixth in the Premier League after 19 matches.
Erik ten Hag has been forced to juggle his squad around due to injuries, particularly the centre-back pairing, as Victor Lindelof, Lisandro Martinez, and Harry Maguire are all currently out.
Man Utd could sign Hojlund 2.0 in "crazy" £34m gem who's a bit like Martial
Erik ten Hag wants to add another striker to his side to bolster the attack.
ByTom LeverDec 28, 2023
With that in mind, the boss wants to add a new defender to the squad in an attempt to bolster his defensive options.
Man Utd transfers latest – Giorgio Scalvini
According to reports in Spain, the Red Devils are interested in acquiring Giorgio Scalvini from Atalanta this winter, who has been described as a “top talent” by Fabrizio Romano.
Real Madrid are also eyeing up a move for the Italian, but Atalanta will demand a fee of around 50m €(£43m) if he is to depart in January.
A move to United next month is unlikely, however, as he is a key player for La Dea, and the English club must abide by the financial fair play guidelines.
Giorgio Scalvini’s style of play
Scalvini burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old at Atalanta, and he was handed his debut by Gian Piero Gasperini in 2021. The defender is now 20 and he has started all but two games in the Serie A for his side.
Despite being right-footed, Scalvini has always played as the wide left centre back of a back three, however, due to his intelligence and well-rounded skillset, he would be the perfect partner for Martinez, and the table below shows why using stats from the 2023/24 Serie A season.
Tackles
2.35
Top 14%
Interceptions
2.42
Top 1%
Ball recoveries
6.41
Top 16%
Blocks
2.07
Top 6%
Aerials won
3.49
Top 4%
Firstly, Scalvini is a dominant defender who stands at 6 foot 4, yet he is deceivingly fast and can cover ground easily. The ability to recover quickly is a much-needed attribute when playing alongside the Argentinian, as he lacks athleticism in that particular department.
Also, due to the ex-Ajax defender being 5 foot 9, teams have previously targeted his lack of height and taken advantage of it from set pieces, especially. Therefore, having Scalvini, who is dominant in the air, would make United much more secure when defending crosses into the box and long direct balls into the opposition striker.
Furthermore, the Italian international has excellent anticipation and reads the game brilliantly, which helps him have a proactive approach to defending. This is portrayed in his high interceptions and ball recovery statistics. The Atalanta defender is also calm in and out of possession, bringing a nice balance to the defence next to the more aggressive, in-your-face Martinez.
Overall, Ten Hag will be hoping that the Italian can have a Virgil van Dijk impact on his side, as Scalvini is deemed to be a similar player to the Liverpool captain, according to FootballTransfers.
David Alaba
18th December
Fikayo Tomori
16th December
Ronald Araujo
11th December
Jean-Clair Todibo
10th December
Marc Guehi
9th December
Leny Yoro
8th December
Like Scalvini, the towering Dutchman – who signed for the Merseysiders on a £75m deal back in January 2018 – is also a colossal presence at 6 foot 4, albeit while combining that physical prowess with quality in possession as he averages 4.30 progressive passes per 90 – a metric that the Italian averages 4.95 for.
Signing a 20-year-old for such a large fee often comes with risk and extreme pressure, especially at a club like United, but given the Italian’s experience and maturity, he should cope with the responsibility of wearing the Red Devils badge on his chest.