ERIK TEN HAG may have to break the bank to get the right defender this summer.
The Manchester United boss is hoping to land TWO new centre-backs.
And he has no less than four star names on his shortlist.
The Red Devils look set to be closing in on a deal for Bayern Munich misfit Matthijs de Ligt.
And they have also seen two bids rejected for Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite.
Reports claim United have now set their sights on Lille’s Leny Yoro, having a £42million bid accepted despite the teen’s preference to join Real Madrid.
And SunSport exclusively revealed yesterday that Ten Hag is also keeping close tabs on England and Crystal Palace sensation Marc Guehi.
However, the stats show that £85m-rated Branthwaite boasts the best record of the lot.
He made the most appearances of all four men last season, scoring the most goals and winning the most duels.
Branthwaite also made the most tackles, interceptions and clearances.
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And he completed the most blocks too, while also winning possession more than anyone else.
When squeezed across an average game, Branthwaite reigns supreme there as well.
Even with Guehi and De Ligt getting a fairer shot after playing 10 and 13 less games respectively, Branthwaite still has the top ratio in almost all fields.
It means if United are solely going after a new centre-back based on stats, the 22-year-old appears to be head and shoulders above the rest, who are much on an equal level with each other.
However, Branthwaite did lag behind the rest of the competition in terms of successful passes and passing accuracy.
Yet his dominance in aerial duels won makes him a threat at both ends of the pitch.
It also means Ten Hag will have to dig deep as Everton rate Branthwaite as one of the best centre-backs in Europe.
His age means he is likely to get even better with more minutes.
And the Toffees value Branthwaite at £85m after seeing Man City pay £100m for Josko Gvardiol, also 22 years old, last summer.
As far as the other stats go, Lille’s 18-year-old sensation Yoro just about has the next-best numbers after also playing around the same matches as Branthwaite.
But when squeezed down to an average across 90 minutes, there’s not much to choose between him, Guehi and De Ligt.
And it may end up boiling down to who is available for the best price.
