{"id":50664,"date":"2026-04-28T08:44:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T03:14:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/?p=50664"},"modified":"2026-04-28T08:44:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T03:14:51","slug":"background-checks-done-on-these-two-centre-backs-as-united-in-need-of-a-left-footed-defender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/football\/transfer-news\/background-checks-done-on-these-two-centre-backs-as-united-in-need-of-a-left-footed-defender\/","title":{"rendered":"Background checks done on these two centre-backs as United in need of a left-footed defender"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Manchester United have begun early groundwork in the transfer market as the club targets a specific defensive profile ahead of the summer window.<\/p>\n<p>According to fresh reports, the club has conducted background checks on several left-footed centre-backs. This move signals a clear intent to balance the defensive structure, which has lacked a natural left-sided option in recent seasons.<\/p>\n<p>Among the players being monitored are Micky van de Ven and Murillo Santiago Costa dos Santos. Both defenders have impressed with their composure, pace, and ability to build from the back. However, these checks are part of initial assessments, and no formal approach has been confirmed at this stage.<\/p>\n<p>United\u2019s recruitment team is believed to be focusing on defenders who fit a modern system. A left-footed centre-back offers better angles in possession and improves build-up play from deep areas. This has become a priority as the club looks to reshape its squad under a long-term plan.<\/p>\n<p>Van de Ven has attracted attention for his recovery speed and strong defensive positioning. Meanwhile, Murillo has gained recognition for his aggressive defending and confidence on the ball in the Premier League.<\/p>\n<p>Sources indicate that United are still in the information-gathering phase. The club is assessing multiple options before deciding on a primary target. Financial considerations and squad priorities will play a role closer to the transfer window.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Manchester United have begun early groundwork in the transfer market as the club targets a specific defensive profile ahead of\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":202,"featured_media":45754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4660],"tags":[3686,3918,1823,3796,2573,249,2907,4173,5339,4724,3991,4722],"class_list":["post-50664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transfer-news","tag-david-ornstein","tag-english-premier-league","tag-fabrizio-romano","tag-football","tag-football-transfers","tag-manchester-united","tag-michael-carrick","tag-mickey-van-de-ven","tag-murillo","tag-new-defender","tag-summer-transfer-window","tag-transfer-news"],"reading_time":"2 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/202"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50664"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50666,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50664\/revisions\/50666"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}