This season, Erik ten Hag’s center-back group at Manchester United has been anything but stable. The fact that Lisandro Martinez, the Old Trafford 2022 Fans’ Footballer of the Year, has been out since mid-September due to a foot injury and is only making a comeback this weekend is a major contributing factor to the issue.

Since then, Ten Hag has had to switch things up in order to find his ideal pairing while also managing more ailments. Harry Maguire is out due to a groyne injury, despite having started nine Premier League games and being named Player of the Month in November. It’s also important to keep in mind that last summer, when United and West Ham agreed on a £30 million cost, his manager was ready to sell him, but the player declined the offer.

In other places, With the exception of three games, Raphael Varane has been available every game but has been rested on the bench eight times when healthy. Victor Lindelof, a 36-year-old free agent, has missed the last five due to injury. Nine league games have seen Jonny Evans start in the starting lineup. Ten Hag had utilised ten different defensive core combinations before to the start of the new year. It comes as no surprise that the transfer market in 2024 seems to be concentrating on it.

Four Premier League teams, including United, are observing Araujo.

Manchester United has reportedly shown interest in Ronald Araujo of Barcelona, indicating through unidentified third parties that they would be eager to buy him should he become available, according to HITC Football. It is believed that its Premier League rivals, Newcastle, Chelsea, and Arsenal, have all taken similar actions.

Ronald Arajo of Barcelona in the Premier League
Bayern Munich, the current Bundesliga champions, have been leading the race and have made strong attempts to sign Araujo this month. However, Barcelona has informed the Bavarians and all other potential suitors of the Uruguayan that he is not available for purchase, either in this window or in the summer. Rather, they are trying to lock him into a new contract before his current one expires in 2.5 years.

Araujo’s quickness draws attention.

Araujo’s physicality is a major factor in his attraction. The statistics back up Raj Chohan’s description of him as a “athletic monster” and his recovery rate as a “cheat code” made by the football podcaster. Among all Barcelona players in the Champions League group stages, only Raphinha had a faster top speed, while Araujo was among the top 10 defenders overall.

The 24-year-old certainly benefits from this running ability when he moves upfield. He is in the 93rd percentile for successful take-ons per ninety minutes and the 87th percentile for progressive carries when compared to positional counterparts in the main five leagues of Europe and continental competition over the previous season.

He would have been a fantastic addition to United or any other elite team in Europe, but sadly, it appears that this one will remain a pipe dream. This week, in a speech, Araujo specifically brought up the Red Devils while disputing the idea that he was considering leaving.

“Rumours of all kinds appear in all transfer windows,” he stated. It’s a typical occurrence. We hear things about me every transfer window; last summer, they also mentioned Man United. All I can say is that I have this team and this club in my sights. I usually try to give everything for this shirt because I feel comfortable here.”