Is Yerry Mina the man to secure the Manchester United defence?

It is strange, for a couple of weeks, Evertonian’s have been under the impression that Barcelona and Colombia centre-back Yerry Mina was the Blues main transfer target to strengthen in the centre of defence.

While now there seems to be just lingering hopes of the Toffees signing the giant Colombian, as according to the Express, Manchester United are on the brink of signing the 23-year-old. In fact, Mina is now odds of 1/ 2 to be a United player by the time the current transfer window shuts.

United already have a crop of centre-backs

The Red Devils seem to have a plethora of centre-back options, who are decent, but not really top-class. I am a big fan of Ivorian centre-back Eric Bailly. I do believe the 24-year-old will only get better with more experience next season. He can be top-class in the future but is a work in progress.

Then there are the likes of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo and Victor Lindelof. The quartet all fall into the category of can be decent defenders on their day, but once again, all have a defensive mistake in them.

In other words, it is hard to rely on any of the United defenders. A strong team usually starts at the back, and United do not have a reliable defence that is why boss Jose Mourinho is centre-back shopping this summer.

Mina impressed at the World Cup

I would love to say I have seen a whole lot of Yerry Mina, but I would be lying if I said so. I cannot even remember watching him last season for Barcelona, where he made just five appearances after joining in the January transfer window from Palmeiras.

Barcelona bought the youngster in to attempt to solve their long-running centre-back issue. However, the fact he is a non-EU player has caused the Catalan giants headaches, as they currently have too many at the club.

Anyway, I digress, from what I have seen of Mina at the World Cup the youngster does have talent. He attacks the ball well in both areas, proven by his three goals in four games for the South American nation in Russia, and is strong and commanding.

Mina certainly seems like the sort of centre-back that the Red Devils need right now with question marks over at least four of their central defensive options. However, just like Lindelof, Rojo when and Bailly when they joined United, he is an unknown quantity when it comes to Premier League experience.

The Colombian international seems built for the English top-flight. However, South American players can often struggle with acclimatising to the Premier League, with major differences both and off the pitch.

Manchester United fans on social media seem divided on whether Mina would be good enough to play for the Red Devils. If the defender did sign for the men from Manchester then he would have a lot to prove.

United priced out of other options

I highly doubt that Yerry Mina was Manchester United’s first option when it came to signing a centre-back this summer. In fact, the media have let us know over the last few weeks that the Red Devils have been priced out of moves for Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld and Leicester’s Harry Maguire.

Both players are more highly-rated than Mina in England, while both have Premier League experience, which could be a valuable asset considering the failings of some recent United signings. Mina is reportedly the next on the list after the aforementioned pair.

It seems that it is highly realistic that Manchester United will make Yerry Mina their next signing. Only time will tell if he is the man to shore up what was a highly vulnerable backline last season.

Is Yerry Mina the man to secure the Manchester United defence?