As they continue to struggle defensively this season, Man Utd are reportedly considering a January swoop for Swedish defender Andreas Granqvist to address the problem.
The Red Devils have been far from water-tight at the back so far this campaign, conceding 12 goals in their opening seven Premier League games.
That has certainly been a significant factor in their struggles as pressure continues to build, and shoring up that backline must surely be the priority for Jose Mourinho in January.
According to Fotbolldirekt, Granqvist has emerged on United’s transfer radar with a January swoop touted, as the Helsingborgs stalwart could be offered a surprise move to Old Trafford in the New Year.
“United is incredibly flattering but I have not heard anything concrete yet,” he is quoted as saying in the report. “But I still do not want to exclude anything. If, for example, a big club comes with something in January, then we’ll see.”
The 33-year-old impressed for Sweden at the World Cup this past summer, leading them on a run to the quarter-finals before losing out to England.
Nevertheless, having established himself as an experienced and solid option for club and country in defence, playing across Europe over the years with spells in England, Holland, Italy and Russia prior to returning to his homeland this past summer, he could be a sensible short-term addition for Man Utd having proven his quality in Russia in the summer.
The Portuguese tactician is seemingly spoilt for choice in that department given he has Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones at his disposal, but as noted above with their defensive record, they don’t appear to be getting the job done.
With that in mind, a January swoop for a player like Granqvist could be sensible, albeit for a club of Man Utd’s stature, perhaps they should be setting the bar a little higher with a long-term solution in mind.