Ten Hag admits Man Utd 'overperformed' last season
Manchester United have been handed a major boost ahead of the January transfer window, with the opportunity to sign Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo presenting itself once more. The centre-back was heavily linked with a move to Tottenham in recent weeks, though that deal is said to be 'collapsing'.
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Matters went from bad to worse for United on Saturday when they failed to build on the momentum gained from their win over Aston Villa and were ultimately beaten by Nottingham Forest in another disappointing display.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side took the lead in the 64th minute when Nicolas Dominguez swept home from close range after a cross from Gonzalo Montiel. United soon hit back through Marcus Rashford though, capitalising on a mistake by Matt Turner to tuck a sweet strike into the far corner.
But Forest soon regained their lead through Morgan Gibbs-White, with the playmaker curling a sensational strike past Andre Onana to cap off a blistering counter-attack to send the City Ground into a frenzy.
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United’s defensive fragilities were highlighted by the pace and power of the Forest frontline and showcased why Erik ten Hag is desperate to bolster his depth across the backline in the January transfer window. France international Todibo has been among the considerations at Old Trafford since this summer, and a move for the 24-year-old is still possible.
Tottenham had also shortlisted the ex-Barcelona defender as a top target heading into January, but Fabrizio Romano reports that those talks are ‘set to collapse’ as Ange Postecoglou’s side have turned their attention to Genoa defender Radu Dragusin instead.
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Spurs’ move away from Todibo will be music to the ears of Ten Hag, who can now push for his side to pursue the defender once again in January. Striking a deal for the centre-back may not prove to be too difficult next month either after an announcement made on Christmas Eve confirmed that Sir Jim Ratcliffe had purchased a 25 per cent stake in United.
The INEOS businessman also owns Nice and would therefore be able to facilitate a move between the two sides if he desires, though there is a risk of upsetting the French outfit by selling one of their most important players during the winter window whilst the club are performing so well. Nice are currently second in Ligue 1 and look set to be the likeliest contenders to push Paris Saint-Germain for the title, though a bid in the region of £35million would certainly test their resolve.
