{"id":43321,"date":"2026-02-16T03:37:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T08:37:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/16\/man-united-return-to-serie-a-as-premier-league-giants-scout-defensive-pair\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T03:37:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T08:37:29","slug":"man-united-return-to-serie-a-as-premier-league-giants-scout-defensive-pair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/16\/man-united-return-to-serie-a-as-premier-league-giants-scout-defensive-pair\/","title":{"rendered":"Man United return to Serie A as Premier League Giants scout defensive pair"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/16\/man-united-return-to-serie-a-as-premier-league-giants-scout-defensive-pair\/#Manchester_United_are_looking_for_a_left-back_and_centre-back\" >Manchester United are looking for a left-back and centre-back<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/16\/man-united-return-to-serie-a-as-premier-league-giants-scout-defensive-pair\/#Red_Devils_aim_for_solid_defense\" >Red Devils aim for solid defense<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Manchester United have cast their net across Italy as they prepare for a crucial summer rebuild, with Inter Milan&#8217;s Federico Dimarco and Juventus&#8217; Pierre Carles emerging as key targets in their defence.<br \/><\/strong><br \/>According to Calciomercato, United&#8217;s scouts also attended the recent match between Inter and Juventus, indicating the seriousness of their interest.<\/p>\n<p>The Red Devils are expected to prioritize defensive reinforcements towards the end of the season.<br \/>Injuries, instability and uncertainty surrounding several senior players have revealed the need for greater depth and tactical flexibility at the back.<\/p>\n<p>Serie A has long been seen as a breeding ground for tactically astute defenders, and it appears to be a natural hunting ground for United&#8217;s recruitment team.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Manchester_United_are_looking_for_a_left-back_and_centre-back\"><\/span>Manchester United are looking for a left-back and centre-back<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Dimarco has developed into one of the most reliable left-sided defenders in European football.<\/p>\n<p>Known for his attacking drive, crossing ability and set-piece quality, the Italian international has a modern profile suited to high-intensity football.<\/p>\n<p>His performances with Inter in both domestic and continental competitions have enhanced his reputation, and the 28-year-old combines experience with performance at the highest level.<\/p>\n<p>Kalulu, on the other hand, presents a different but equally attractive proposition.<\/p>\n<p>The 25-year-old Frenchman is praised for his versatility, as he is comfortable playing at right-back or centre-back, as well as his speed and composure in possession.<\/p>\n<p>That ability to adapt could be particularly valuable as United look to build a more dynamic defensive unit that can adapt to multiple systems.<\/p>\n<p>His recent red cards in high-profile Serie A games may raise some minor concerns, but one incident is unlikely to overshadow his wider work.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Red_Devils_aim_for_solid_defense\"><\/span>Red Devils aim for solid defense<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pierre Charles applauds Juventus fans (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>United&#8217;s interest may be due to the uncertain future of some of their current players.<\/p>\n<p>Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire are unlikely to play for the Red Devils for long due to their age and fitness.<\/p>\n<p>It is clear that United are considering contingency plans and making future plans to replace long-serving members of the squad.<\/p>\n<p>With the Premier League becoming increasingly competitive each season, the addition of a defender with European pedigree and positional flexibility is vital for United.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Manchester United players feel it would be &#8216;insane&#8217; to let first-team players leave in the summer<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- Article End -->\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Manchester United have cast their net across Italy as they prepare for a crucial summer rebuild, with Inter Milan&#8217;s Federico Dimarco and Juventus&#8217; Pierre Carles emerging as key targets in their defence.According to Calciomercato, United&#8217;s scouts also attended the recent match between Inter and Juventus, indicating the seriousness of their interest. The Red Devils are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[40],"class_list":{"0":"post-43321","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-football"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43321"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43321\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}