Despite excellent performances from Aaron Wan-Bissaka, the rumors of fullbacks to Manchester United continue to swirl – now it’s Vanderson.
A report from the French paper, RMC Sport, suggests that Manchester United is positioning itself to send a bid for Monack right-back Vanderson. It was reported earlier this month by The Top Flight that Manchester United were also keen on Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong.
Vanderson has only been playing professional football for a little over two years. The 21-year-old defender joined Brazilian side Gremio in 2019 as a youth player before making his debut in December 2020. The defender spent the rest of 2021 with Gremio in a season that saw them relegated from Brasileiro Serie A. At the turn of the year, January 2022, Vanderson joined Ligue 1 side AS Monaco on a deal worth £9.7M
Vanderson notched his first goal for Monaco against Montpellier in just his third match. As the end of the 21/22 season progressed, he took on a larger role at the coastal club, starting most games including both legs of the Europe League round of 16 against Braga.
Vanderson again this season has been a regular starter at the club. He of course has seen some rotation with more European fixtures in the mix. Monaco finds themselves in the thick of a battle for a group-stage place in the Champions League, currently trailing both Marseille and Lens. The club was knocked out of the Europa League by Bayer Leverkusen, in a matchup that Vanderson missed both legs injured.
Looking at his Football Reference stats page, the Brazilian is a well-rounded right-back. In particular, he is strong with tackling and interceptions (98th percentile for both respectively). Given the sort of form Wan-Bissaka is on to close out the season, it looks as if Vanderson could be a suitable backup on the right side. This would put Diogo Dalot as the odd man out should Manchester United decide to bring in a new right-back.