Man United’s centre-back crisis highlights fragility of entire squad

Man United’s centre-back crisis highlights fragility of entire squad Only the delusional have spent much time this season admiring Manchester United’s squad. There are undoubtedly some fantastic footballers operating at Old Trafford – one of them is in the conversation for Premier League player of the season with 17 assists and counting. But as a collective, the massed ranks of United’s 2025-26 squad are flattered by sitting third in the table, the group still feeling thrown together rather than painstakingly assembled.

Disjointed group It’s not surprising, given that Erik ten Hag ’s erratic recruitment segued clumsily into Ruben Amorim ’s uncompromisingly system-driven approach which started to mould a squad in a very specific image before the seesaw tipped back to a more conventional tactical setup. But as the midfield sinkhole grew wider and deeper, and first one then another young striker was forced to largely go it alone at the sharp end, there was at least some comfort to be found in United’s own box. Good on paper Sandwiched between sometimes questionable full-backs, then wing-backs, then full-backs again was a revolving cast of genuinely good central defenders, a theoretically solid blend of experience and potential.

Elder statesman Harry Maguire may have started secondary school before young Ayden Heaven was born, but both offered something positive to the squad and to the team when called upon. Blockbuster names like serial winner Matthijs de Ligt , the phenomenally promising big-money teenager Leny Yoro and fan favourite pitbull Lisandro Martinez rounded out a well-stocked, multi-function centre-back department. One position, it seemed, we didn’t need to worry about too urgently.

Bad in practice Now, however, the picture is dramatically different. After a run of poor form Yoro has been sidelined through injury, joining long-term absentee De Ligt in the treatment room. So long-term are Dutchman’s issue that his viability as any kind of first-team option is in doubt even when he makes a return.