THREE Players Who Manchester United Could Sign Instead Of Arsenal Captain

Manchester United have been heavily linked with a move for a central defender all summer now, but there hasn't been any movement just yet. It appears as though United are chasing a relatively cheap replacement for Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand. They have looked at two quite different types of footballers. Stefan de Vrij is very much a young, up-and-coming centre-back with a lot of potential. Thomas Vermaelen, on the other hand, is an experienced Premier League defender with not too many years left at the top. Therefore, it is hard to pinpoint what type of defender the Red Devils want. 

However, I have looked at three options which cover all the criteria:

1. Benedikt Howedes - The German defender has been a fantastic servant to Schalke, ever since he was promoted to the first team back in 2007 after rising through the ranks. At the age of just 26, he is already the club captain and has led Schalke to many seasons in Europe, either in the Europa League or Champions League. His price may well be inflated due to him being the captain, but he would still be a relatively cheap option. He also has plenty of years left and has experience in major competitions.

2. Inigo Martinez - The 23-year-old Spaniard has been a revelation at Real Sociedad for a couple of seasons now and is slowly becoming one of the best centre-backs in La Liga. He is quite young, but is gaining quite a reputation experience along the way. He is a brave defender that is cut out for the Premier League.

3. Neven Subotic - In the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid duo, Subotic is very much the Sundance Kid. He is hugely talented, but is rather overshadowed by Mats Hummels (Butch). However, if you ask the Borussia Dortmund fans about who they think is better they can't separate them. The Serbian, though, would be cheaper than the German and is just as talented. He is only 25-years-old as well.