Manchester United have made moves for defenders Jarrad Branthwaite, Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro this summer, but what could happen if all three signed?
It’s no secret that United are in the market for new centre-backs this summer. With Raphael Varane having departed the club and Victor Lindelof expected to be sold, defence is a priority in the transfer window with Erik ten Hag’s side closing in on a few new arrivals.
Personal terms have been agreed with De Ligt while Yoro has agreed to join the club despite interest from Real Madrid. A deal could still be done for Branthwaite after United’s first two bids were rejected.
But if United were to have the perfect summer transfer window and all three defenders signed, how could they fare next season? Let’s take a look…
United’s 2024/25 season simulated with De Ligt, Yoro and Branthwaite
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move the defensive trio to United in the summer transfer window for a combined fee of £150million. We then simulated the 2024/25 season, and this is how the defenders got on.
Ten Hag was keen to play his new additions as much as possible, with the Dutchman eventually deciding to move Lisandro Martinez into midfield to accommodate his signings. This worked a treat, with all three defenders playing regularly in their first season at the club.
De Ligt and Branthwaite was the partnership that saw the most game time in the simulation, with the latter making 41 appearances, one more than De Ligt. As the least experienced, Yoro was eased into the squad, but in his 28 appearances the Frenchman averaged a rating of 7.03 per game along with five assists – the same rating as De Ligt, and higher than Branthwaite (6.98).
At the end of the 2024/25 season, Football Manager 2024 put together an overall best United XI, based on performances, statistics, and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Full United best XI: (4-3-3): Onana; Dalot, De Ligt, Branthwaite, Shaw; Martinez, Fernandes, Mainoo; Garnacho, Hojlund, Rashford.
De Ligt and Branthwaite were the centre-back partnership in the best XI, with Yoro missing out. Martinez made the best XI as a holding midfielder, with Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo completing the midfield three.
New signing Joshua Zirkzee failed to make the best XI with Rasmus Hojlund scoring more goals than the Dutchman. Both Maguire and Lindelof were sold in the simulation, leaving little competition for the new signings.
With De Ligt, Branthwaite and Yoro all settling in nicely at Old Trafford, their impact was felt in the Premier League, with Ten Hag’s side improving massively in the 2024/25 season. At the end of the campaign, United finished fifth, but it was their defensive record that impressed the most.
20 wins, 13 draws, and five losses saw United end the season on 73 points, 13 more than the previous season, and only seven points off the top four. Ten Hag’s side conceded just 31 goals in the league, giving them the joint-best defensive record in the league along with Tottenham.
United earned a spot in the Champions League for the following season in the simulation, but it wasn’t to do with finishing fifth. A fantastic European campaign saw Ten Hag’s side win the Europa League, with Marcus Rashford scoring twice as United beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the final.
Overall, FM24 predicts that if United can sign Branthwaite, De Ligt and Yoro, their defence could improve drastically, with Ten Hag’s side winning a European trophy in the simulation. The triple signing also saw Martinez move into midfield, a switch that definitely worked.
