Manchester United has experienced an up-and-down season, finishing sixth in the Premier League after 19 games.

Due to injuries, Erik ten Hag has had to juggle his roster, particularly the center-back partnership of Victor Lindelof, Lisandro Martinez, and Harry Maguire.

With this in mind, the manager wishes to add a new defender to the squad in order to strengthen his defensive alternatives.

Man United’s most recent transfer – Giorgio Scalvini

According to Spanish media sources, the Red Devils are interested in signing Giorgio Scalvini from Atalanta this winter, who has been hailed as a “top talent” by Fabrizio Romano.

Real Madrid is reportedly interested in signing the Italian, but Atalanta will expect a fee of roughly 50 million euros (£43 million) if he leaves in January.

However, a move to United next month is improbable since he is a crucial player for La Dea and the English team must follow financial fair play laws.

Giorgio Scalvini’s playing style

Scalvini broke onto the forefront at Atalanta as a 17-year-old, and Gian Piero Gasperini gave him his debut in 2021. The defender is currently 20 years old and has started all bar two Serie A games for his club.

Despite being right-footed, Scalvini has always played as the wide left centre back in a back three, but due to his intellect and well-rounded skill set, he would be the ideal partner for Martinez, as seen in the table below using figures from the 2023/24 Serie A season.

To begin, Scalvini is a dominant defender who measures 6 feet 4 inches tall but is deceptively swift and can cover a lot of distance. The ability to recover quickly is a valuable asset when playing alongside the Argentinian, who lacks quickness in that area.

Also, because the ex-Ajax defender is 5 foot 9, teams have previously targeted his lack of height and exploited it, particularly from set pieces. As a result, adding Scalvini, who is strong in the air, would make United far more safe when defending crosses into the box and long direct balls into the opposing striker.

Furthermore, the Italian international has tremendous anticipation and reads the game excellently, which allows him to defend aggressively. This is seen in his high interceptions and ball recovery numbers. The Atalanta defender is also composed in and out of possession, providing a wonderful counterbalance to the more aggressive, in-your-face Martinez.

Overall, Ten Hag will be hoping for a Virgil van Dijk-like impact from Scalvini, who is seen as a similar player to the Liverpool captain, according to FootballTransfers.