United Eye Dortmund Centre-Back - Why He Would Help The Red Devils' Inexperienced Defence

Many Dutch players have been linked with Manchester United due to the current Netherlands manager being set to take over at Old Trafford after the World Cup.  The club are, however, said to be after one man who Louis van Gaal does not know.

According to the Metro, Mats Hummels is one of the defensive options being considered by the Red Devils after the departures of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.  Having come through the ranks at Bayern Munich, the centre-back has impressed at Borussia Dortmund since initially joining the club on loan in 2008.

Helping Dortmund win the Bundesliga in both 2011 and 2012, the Germany defender then led his side to the Champions League final in 2013.  This sort of success and experience is exactly what United need for them to get back among the Premier League elite.

At 25 years of age, Hummels is just under 12 months younger than Jonny Evans yet has featured much more regularly per season than the Northern Ireland international.  Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have shared Evan’s pain of limited gametime and for that reason present a risk of being thrown in at the deep end for United next season.

After the disaster that was last campaign at Old Trafford, eyes will be firmly placed on players’ performances next year.  Not replacing the experienced defenders who have left would ensure that the likes of Jones, Smalling and Evans are in the starting lineup every week.

Although they will obviously want to play, recruiting Hummels would slightly ease the pressure on United’s current centre-backs and also make them fight for a place in the team.

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