Manchester duo set sight on St Ettiene youngster

It's hard to know which of the Manchester clubs is more in need of a new defender.

Manchester United are of course continuing to plough on with a Rio Ferdinand that has palpably lost one, possibly even two yards of pace...as well as Jonny Evans, with Nemanja Vidic's absence proving a particularly problematic one. Perhaps it's no surprise that the Red Devils are continually forced to call on their attacking players to do the business after falling behind over and over again, both in Europe and domestically.

On the other hand, Manchester City's defensive displays have been so bad this season that even the usually imperious Vincent Kompany has seen his form suffer due to the inconsistency of his team-mates.

Thus, it is no surprise really to see the Sun linking the two rivals with a new defensive recruitment. What is a surprise is that it is St Ettiene youngster Kurt Zouma.

Who?

That is quite possibly the question on everyone's lips reading this but at £9million the 18-year-old will hardly come cheap, especially considering some of the defensive luminaries that have arrived from French football in recent years.

For every William Gallas, there is a Sebastien Squillaci.

Adam Mazrani