Manchester United extended their winless run in the Premier League to five matches after their 1-1 draw with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday.
The Red Devils did move up to 14th in the table with their point, though their position in the league is rather irrelevant at this point in the campaign, after a late equaliser from Rasmus Hojlund.
Ruben Amorim’s side held 62% of the ball and created 2.52 xG worth of chances, to Bournemouth’s 0.53 xG, but failed to make the most of their opportunities at the top end of the pitch.
This shows that there were positives for the Portuguese coach to take away from the match, as his team were dominant and created enough chances to win, but he needs to find a way to improve the effectiveness of his players at both ends of the park.
That could be by coaching them on the training pitch ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, or it could be by improving the squad in the summer transfer window.
One player who may not have furthered his chances of earning a move to Old Trafford, however, is Dean Huijsen after a lacklustre performance on Sunday.
Dean Huijsen's performance against Man Utd
The 20-year-old central defender is a reported transfer target for the Red Devils ahead of the summer transfer window, with a release clause of £55m, but did not show his best self against Amorim’s team.
As aforementioned, Manchester United created 2.52 xG worth of chances against Huijsen and his defensive teammates, which suggests that they found it relatively easy to break down the Bournemouth backline to create high-quality opportunities.
Minutes
90
Clearances
8
Blocks
2
Tackles + interceptions
0
Ground duels won
0/2
Aerial duels won
2/2
Pass accuracy
71%
Long passes completed
1/11
As you can see in the table above, the Spanish defender was dominant aerially and positioned himself well to make clearances, but left a bit to be desired with the timing and strength of his challenges on the ground.
Huijsen was also wasteful with the ball at his feet, completing 9% of his attempted long passes, and United may not have been impressed by his lack of quality in possession.
It would be a bit of a gamble for the Red Devils to sign the Bournemouth star because he is still very young, at the age of 20, and had only played 14 top-flight matches prior to the start of this season.
United may opt to go for a centre-back with a bit more experience, who can make an instant impact, and they are reportedly looking at a 24-year-old defender who could be an even better signing than Huijsen.
Man Utd plot bid to sign Serie A defender
According to InterLive, Manchester United are interested in a potential swoop to sign Inter central defender Yann Bisseck in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Premier League giants are keen on both Bisseck and Netherlands international Denzel Dumfries from the Italian side, as Amorim looks to improve the strength of his defensive options ahead of next season.
It states that Inter, whilst they are not actively looking to cash in on either player, are open to offers for their stars and would consider any big-money bids that come in for them.
InterLive reports that Manchester United are preparing a bid to sign Bisseck for a fee of £51m, as they plot a swoop to sign the German central defender in the coming weeks.
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However, the outlet does not reveal whether or not that amount of money would be enough to tempt the reigning Serie A champions to part ways with the 24-year-old colossus.
Hopefully, United can push ahead to wrap up a deal for the Inter titan in the summer transfer window because he could be an even better signing than Huijsen to bolster Amorim’s defence.
Why Bisseck could be an even better signing than Huijsen
The Red Devils should attempt to sign Bisseck ahead of the Bournemouth star because he has the potential to offer even more to the team at the heart of the defence.
He would come in with more experience than the Cherries defender because this is his fourth season of regular first-team football, compared to Huijsen’s second.
The 24-year-old titan, who was dubbed a “monster” by a performance consultant on X, has played 61 times for Inter in all competitions since the start of last season, which means that he already has plenty of experience playing for a huge European club, even winning a major league title last term.
As you can see in the chart above, Bisseck has offered more to Inter than Huijsen has to Bournemouth with his use of the ball, with more progressive carries and passes, along with a great pass success rate, per 90 at league level this term.
The German colossus, who can progress play consistently to build attacks for his side from a centre-back position, also has some strong defensive attributes that could make him even better than the Spaniard at Old Trafford.
Appearances
28
23
Goals
2
2
Dribbled past per game
0.4x
0.1x
Duel success rate
56%
63%
Aerial duel success rate
60%
74%
Fouls committed per game
1.0
0.5
Pass accuracy
84%
92%
As you can see in the table above, Bisseck is far more dominant in his duels, particularly in the air, and this means that he could deal with the likes of Erling Haaland and Kai Havertz more effectively in the big games.
These statistics show that the Inter star has the qualities, in and out of possession, to be an excellent addition to Amorim’s squad because he can combine progressive actions on the ball with defensive strength and reliability, rarely being dribbled past or beaten in duels by opposition players.
Amorim must surely drop 4/10 Man Utd dud who lost the ball every 4 touches
Manchester United managed to salvage a point away at AFC Bournemouth courtesy of Rasmus Hojlund.
ByKelan Sarson
Therefore, the Red Devils must push to get a deal done for the £51m-rated star ahead of a move for Huijsen, as he could offer more to the team in the here and now.