5 players Manchester United should sign in January

#5: Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli)

Jose Mourinho’s philosophy relies heavily on a strong defence. However, the reason why Manchester United have failed miserably this season is because their defence per se is the weakest link in the setup. Well, when the core part of your strategy itself is weak, there isn’t much you can do about it, can you? No wonder the Red Devils have been leaking goals given their shaky defence.

Napoli center-back Kalidou Koulibaly could be the perfect answer to United’s defensive woes. The Biancocelesti defender emerged as one of the finest defenders in the world under Maurizio Sarri last season.

Sarri’s philosophy of possession football requires ball-playing centre-backs who can start building attacks from the back. Playing under the Italian has enhanced Koulibaly’s passing and vision and there are worthy stats to back his pedigree. He averages an excellent pass success rate of 87.3% and makes 3.8 average long passes to create chances.

Added to that, he is a tough tackler with an average of 1.8 tackles per game. He is also a commanding presence in the air, winning 2.1 aerial duels per game. He is also a fine interceptor of the ball with an average of 1.5 interceptions to his credit.

Kalidou Koulibaly could be the quintessential adhesive Man United need to fix the crevices in their defence.