Former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen has said that Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven would have been an ideal signing for the Red Devils.
United have made a disappointing start to the season and have already suffered three defeats, including one against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup third round last night.
The defence has been a cause for concern right from the 2-0 Premier League defeat to Hull City in the curtain-raiser. This has raised questions about why United did not bolster their backline this summer.
The club should have recruited a marquee left-footed centre-back in our view. A left-back should have been prioritised too, considering the injury record of Luke Shaw over the past 12 years.
In an interview with BestBettingSites, Meulensteen said that Van de Ven is definitely good enough for a top-four Premier League outfit and he would have been an ideal signing for United.
The Netherlands international has superb recovery pace, and Meulensteen believes he could have played as a left-back for the Red Devils aside from his regular central defensive position.
He said: “Micky van de Ven is definitely good enough for a top-four side.
“I would have loved to see him at Manchester United because his recovery pace allows you to play a much higher defensive line, and he can easily cover at left-back.
“United currently have aging centre backs and injury issues with Lisandro Martinez, so Van de Ven would have been ideal.
“That said, Roberto De Zerbi has a solid long-term pairing at Tottenham with Van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke, who could easily become the bedrock centre-back duo for the Dutch national team.”
Lisandro Martinez is presently United’s regular left-sided centre-back. However, the Argentine has been injury-prone since he arrived from Ajax and has missed several key matches for the club.
It has been a similar story with Van de Ven, who joined Spurs from Wolfsburg for £43 million in 2023. The Dutchman has missed almost 40 games for the London giants over the past three years.
Despite this, he has been an undisputed starter for Spurs when fit. He is primarily a central defender by trade, but has also occasionally impressed with his marauding overlapping runs as a left-back.
His versatility would have made him a perfect signing for the Red Devils, but a deal was never on the cards. Van de Ven was convinced to stay after Spurs avoided relegation on the final day of last season.
While Cristian Romero decided to move to Atletico Madrid, Van de Ven penned a new long-term deal at Spurs last month, ending any speculation that he would pursue a new challenge elsewhere.
We believe United need a similar profile to compete with Martinez, given Ayden Heaven still lacks experience playing at the highest level and could do with a loan spell away from the club.
United have no immediate targets to reinforce their central defence, but it has been claimed they have renewed interest in Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite and could make a formal offer next summer.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com