Manchester United: Three left-backs the club should be targeting in the summer

Matteo Darmian and Daley Blind have filled in for Luke Shaw at left-back this season, who has not yet returned back to his best since being fully fit after the horrific injury he had suffered at the start of the last campaign. Whilst Antonio Valencia has made the right-back role his very own within the past 12 to 18 months, the opposite position has been considered as the weak-link in recent months.

Although Shaw is easily better than both Darmian and Blind when he is at his best, there’s no guarantee that the youngster will get back to the striving form he once had. And on that note, it’s unlikely that Jose Mourinho will solely focus on the former Southampton player for the remainder of the campaign, which could leave the manager with no option but to find a replacement in the summer.

Since he has been on the sidelines, it’s not easy to choose from either Blind or Darmian as United’s regular starter at left back, with both players having one or two weaknesses that has been easily exploited. Due to the lack of pace that Blind has, he is occasionally caught out of position and is seen as a slow player to run up and down the pitch. Meanwhile with Darmian, his decision making in the final third is not good enough and he always seems to make life difficult when trying to mark the opposition.

Here are three individuals that the Red Devils should be looking at…

Jose Gaya

Valencia’s Jose Gaya will be one of the most wanted players during the summer window, not because of his current form, but due to the fact that the club are going through a lot of financial problems and have no option other than to sell their key players. However, the left-back is only 21-years-old and is arguably one of the best young individuals in Europe within his position.

On the other hand, Manchester United could offer Gaya a near-guarantee of a first-team spot, potentially including European football, if the current form continues for the remainder of the campaign as well as if they carry on progressing as a team in the other competitions.

Gaya is mainly known for his pace and composure on the ball, which is something that Mourinho’s side have been lacking on the left side of the pitch. Also, the Spaniard is yet to make his senior debut for his country, however his chances of making that happen will seriously increase if he was to complete a possible move to Old Trafford.

Sead Kolasinac

Since his contract finishes at the end of the campaign and he will be available on a free transfer in the summer, Sead Kolasinac will no doubt be in for a busy decision around July time with a lot of clubs potentially fighting for his signature. Few of the sides that have already been linked with the full-back are Real Madrid, Juventus and even rivals Liverpool.

With the Bosnian international available on a free transfer, he would be seen as a risk-free option to go for although he is not seen as a regular start for Schalke this campaign. Meanwhile, he has rejected the club’s contract renewal offer and hopes to complete his dream of playing in the Premier League one day.

Kolasinac is regarded as a strong and physical player, having the tendency to go forward to help the attackers and is also comfortable when being utilised as a back-up cover in other positions. As well as being dominant in the air, the 23-year-old has an immaculate work-rate and is not afraid of going into tackles.

Benjamin Mendy

Following his move from Marseille to Monaco last summer, Benjamin Mendy has completed 17 league appearances and has already become a wanted man, once again. Before his transfer to the current Ligue 1 leaders, the Frenchman was closely followed by Arsenal, but a deal of sorts was not official.

Mendy is seen as one of the most complete full-backs in Europe, from being a tough individual to beat to becoming a playmaker in the final third, there’s nothing that the versatile player cannot do. So far this campaign, he has registered seven assists and 22 key passes in all competitions as well as completing 40 successful tackles out of the 54 attempts.

The 22-year-old is very effective whilst dribbling with the ball and has an impressive whip on the crosses he sends from the left hand side. As long as you have a striker who is good in the air, take Zlatan Ibrahimovic for example, the crosses from Mendy would more or less be converted into the back of the net.