INEOS aren't wasting any time in putting their stamp all over the current Manchester United squad, having swiftly wrapped up deals for Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro from Bologna and Lille, respectively.
The addition of the teenage Frenchman, in particular, has set tongues wagging among the Old Trafford faithful, with Erik ten Hag and co ready to build a new backline following the departure of World Cup winner, Raphael Varane.
With long-serving Swede, Victor Lindelof, also tipped to depart – and with Harry Maguire left with just a year to run on his existing deal – further recruits are expected before the window is out, with Yoro unlikely to be the only defensive addition this summer.
Man Utd's search for a centre-back
As Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst has noted, the Red Devils could potentially bring in three central defenders before the August deadline, with parallel moves having also been made for Jarrad Branthwaite and Matthijs de Ligt – alongside the pursuit of Yoro.
That said, United are currently being priced out of a move for Branthwaite amid Everton's £75m plus demands, while reports have also indicated that the Premier League giants are unwilling to match Bayern Munich's £42m asking price for De Ligt.
Amid those stalled moves, speculation in recent days has centred around Bayer Leverkusen titan, Jonathan Tah, with Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg having revealed earlier this week that the 28-year-old has been the subject of an enquiry from the Manchester side.
How Jonathan Tah compares to De Ligt
With the new season looming, the expectation will be for young Yoro to partner Lisandro Martinez from the off, albeit with there likely to be concerns over the Argentine's ability to remain fit for a consistent period, having endured an injury-ravaged 2023/24 campaign.
As such, it may be a case of Yoro partnering someone else next term, hence bringing in an experienced figure like Tah or De Ligt to fill the void of the departing Varane – the Frenchman having notably started in the FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City.
While De Ligt – who worked under Ten Hag at Ajax previously – would have his merits, the addition of Tah could represent something of an upgrade, with the German giant coming off the back of a hugely successful season in which Leverkusen went unbeaten domestically.
Stat
Tah
De Ligt
Games (starts)
31 (30)
22 (16)
Goals
4
2
Assists
1
0
Pass accuracy
95%
94%
Key passes*
0.2
0.1
Clean sheets
12
2
Tackles & interceptions*
1.3
1.6
Balls recovered*
5.2
3.3
Total duels won
55%
59%
Aerial duels won
72%
59%
As shown in the table above, the major benefit of turning to Tah for United would be his superior quality in possession, with the £46k-per-week ace coming out on top for pass accuracy and key passes per game in the Bundesliga last season, while also dominating far more impressively in an aerial sense.
Equally, a further green tick for the Leverkusen sensation is his apparent likeness to a certain William Saliba, as per FBref, with the pair – who stand at 6 foot 5 and 6 foot 4, respectively – deemed to share a number of stylistic and statistical similarities.
The major point of comparison between the pair stems from their innate ball-playing ability, with Tah ranking in the top 1% among his European peers for pass completion and the top 13% for passes attempted per 90, while Saliba, too, is also something of a defensive playmaker as he ranks in the top 9% and the top 12% for those same two metrics, respectively.
Such similarities bode well for the impact that the Hamburg native can make in English football, with Saliba having formed part of the division's best defence last season, while earning comparisons to a "young Rio Ferdinand" from United legend, Gary Neville.
Tah would have to go some way to try and emulate the Frenchman's success in the Premier League, although that likeness indicates not only what a worthy alternative to De Ligt he would be, but also a worthy partner for the youthful Yoro next season.
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