Man United simply must sign a defender in January – and here’s why

They lack a leader to martial their defence

It’s clear to us here at Shoot! that United are lacking a leader in their back line, someone to martial the defence and take control when the going gets tough, and also to make sure the team stays concentrated in games they’re dominating.

Mourinho has had a leader at the heart of the defence in each of the major teams he has managed in his career to date, think Carvalho at Porto, Terry at Chelsea, Materazzi at Inter and Pepe at Madrid. All these players took control of the defence they played in; does he have a player like this at United?

Eric Bailly looks an excellent prospect but his age and the fact that he’s still adapting to life in England mean he’s not ready to lead the back line just yet. With Smalling out of favour and Blind and Rojo not displaying strong leadership credentials during their time in England so far, United should be looking to purchase a strong centre half to command their defence for the second half of the campaign.