How would Pau Torres fit in at Manchester United?

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:40 CDT
• 3 min read

Pau Torres could be set for a move to Manchester United this summer, with the club eager to add more quality to their defensive ranks.

At the moment, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has captain Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, and Eric Bailly as his senior centre-backs, but none of the three has been consistently impressive under his tenure.

READ MORE: Who is Pau Torres? The Villarreal defender wanted by Man Utd, Man City and Real Madrid

All three are prone to mistakes, though Man Utd feel Maguire would benefit from a higher quality partner at the back rather than the aforementioned duo.

Several names have been linked with the Old Trafford side for the summer transfer window including Sergio Ramos, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Jules Kounde.

The name at the top of that list at the moment, however, appears to be Villarreal defender Pau Torres.

Man Utd face plenty of competition for his signature, with Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Real Madrid also keen admirers, but the Manchester Evening News reports that Torres would be open to the possibility of joining the Red Devils in the summer.

Torres has a release clause of £51 million (€60million) within his current contract but Villarreal would allegedly be willing to take acceptable player-plus-cash offers from the player’s suitors.

If the Spain international were to make the move, how would he fit in at Man Utd?

Man Utd XI featuring Pau Torres

Obviously, Man Utd will likely make a number of signings this summer which may alter other members of the starting XI without graphic, but for the purposes of Torres being included, this is how he will be deployed.

Crucially, Torres is a left-footed centre-back which would allow him to play centre-left in the back four, with Maguire moving to the right.

Maguire plays left at the moment, but Man Utd seem to think he would be better suited moving on to his stronger foot, which would also in turn provide more balance to the team as a whole.

With Luke Shaw and Torres on the left and Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the right, Utd would have a perfectly balanced back four.

There are also potential positive ramifications further up the team, as at the moment Solskjaer tends to play with two defensively-minded central midfielders in Fred and Scott McTominay.

This duo is generally not seen as good enough to get Man Utd to the heights of a Man City, but Torres patrolling the back line instead of Lindelof or Bailly would allow someone like Paul Pogba to come into the centre of midfield to provide more of a creative spark. That is, of course, if Pogba remains a Man Utd player for next season.

Solskjaer also likes his teams to play out from the back, and this is one of Torres’ major strengths both with Villarreal and the Spain national side.