Just before the last transfer window I thought I'd do a bit of research to come up with a new defender for us...I've already said in another post that I've got too much time on my hands! lol I looked at the squads of all the national teams above England in the FIFA rankings. Of the players that were of the right age, I ruled out the ones who were playing regularly for the bigger European sides. I actually did this the day before news broke of him joining us, and he stood out by a mile. So you can imagine how excited I was when it became a reality.
He was a huge talent at Ajax and moved to Athletico Madrid for £8.8m. I was expecting him to cost too much. That we managed to get him for less than Athletico paid for him, just £6.2m is fantastic business by the club.
One aspect of his game that we haven't seen yet is his goalscoring. For Ajax he had a 1 in 7 strike rate. Even though he didn't complete a season in Spain it was 1 in 9. Even at international level it's 1 in 8. To compare, Fellaini is about 1 in 9 this season.
Then there's his versatility. Just like Jags, he's found his preferred position at centre back. Given that we've got such a small squad, it's great that he cal play at full back or midfield too, if required.
His distribution has looked more composed than Jagielka's too. He seems comfortable playing the simple ball into Fellaini and building from the back. When he has gone long, they've most been purposeful lofted balls rather than desperate hoofs upfield. Hopefully some of that will rub off on Jags.
