The transfer buzz that’s been hovering around Sergio Ramos the past few weeks still lingers, but is as inconclusive as ever. Talks have dragged on for so long that the buzz, as with all familiar sounds, has been reduced to no more than white noise, a steady humming in the background.

Now it’s time for Manchester United to tune out the sound and turn their attention to a new top priority: Nicolas Otamendi.

The Valencia centre back has been linked with the Red Devils for some time, but is finally free to complete a move now that the Copa America tournament has finished.

The Argentina international featured in 35 games for Valencia last season, starting all of them. In his first season with the club, he netted six league goals, the most of any La Liga defender (Ramos, for the record, had four). It’s a promising start, given that Otamendi had nine goals and six assists in 122 appearances for Porto.

Otamendi’s increased productivity only adds to his most valuable asset, something Manchester United’s defence lacked all season: consistency. The 27-year-old was Valencia’s most-used on-field player, with 3098 minutes under his belt, more time than any player in Louis van Gaal’s squad. United centre-backs Phil Jones and Chris Smalling didn’t even crack 1900 minutes apiece.

Otamendi was named Man of the Match seven times last season, too, which is testament to his defensive contributions. He dominates aerially, winning an average of 3.6 aerial battles per game, and the Argentinian also led Valencia’s ranks in pretty much every defensive category: tackles, clearances, blocks and interceptions.

Though he was mostly employed at left-centre-back in Valencia’s 4-3-3 formation, Otamendi tends to drift to a more central role, inspiring the entire team to press forward. This aggressive movement would fit well with LVG’s system, which calls for playing high in order to regain possession and counter strike more effectively.

While his dribbling could use work, Otamendi excels at playing long balls, and has an accuracy rate of nearly 60%. This makes him an option for free kicks, for which he has an accuracy rate of 92%. He is fearless, not just in his willingness to tackle in his own half, but also in an ability to rush at goal. All six of Otamendi’s goals last season were scored from set pieces, and five were headers from inside the penalty box.

Real Madrid are also interested in Otamendi’s services, so Manchester United better act fast if they want to secure the centre-back’s signature. With his aggressive style, Otamendi is the perfect solution to United’s defensive woes. He’s a fresh face who has shown his ability to continue improving and adjust quickly to a new team. And what better place for him to continue to improve than Old Trafford…

[ad_pod id=’ffc-video’ align=’center’]