Why Ben White to Man United makes perfect sense

According to Football Insider (h/t Daily Express), Man United are keeping close tabs on Ben White, who is currently out on loan with Leeds United in the Championship from Brighton and Hove Albion.

As per the report, the Red Devils scouts are constantly monitoring the development of White and they have been blown away by the impressive displays of the 22-year-old centre-back, who has also caught the eye of Premier League rivals Liverpool (Sun h/t Daily Mail).

White, who was roped in by Marcelo Bielsa as a loanee at the start of the season following the sale of Pontus Jansson to Brentford, has made eyeballs turn with his rich vein of form at Elland Road in the Championship, with the centre-back establishing himself as a regular fixture at the back for the West Yorkshire giants.

Image result for ben white" — Ben White has been a revelation on his loan spell at Leeds United this season (Getty Images)

The Poole-born defender has started each of Leeds’ first 16 league fixtures at the heart of the defence this term.

Ben White rose through the youth ranks of Southampton before completing a move to Brighton in 2014 and while he is still awaiting his senior professional bow for the Seagulls, the youngster is currently making waves with his rich vein of form at Elland Road.

Having previously spent time on loan at Newport County and Peterborough United, the 22-year-old is currently serving his third loan stint away from the English south coast.

As per whoscored, White has averaged 59.5 passes per game at an accuracy of 85.5%, including 3.3 successful long balls, 1.9 tackles, 2.9 interceptions, 3.6 clearances and 3.3 aerial duels per game in the Championship this term, figures which lie testimony to his evolution into one of the best centre-backs in the second-tier.

Taking a closer look at those numbers, White has won 30 out of his attempted 33 tackles so far, which amounts to an overly impressive percentage of 90.9%.

The centre-back has also come out on top on 53 occasions out of a possible 98 aerial duels (54%), while also accumulating a tally of 20 blocks and 46 interceptions.

Suffice to say, those numbers speak volumes of his technical abilities on the ball. Thus, Man United have every reason to look at Ben White as an inspired addition to their ranks.

United have come under the scrutiny once again following a lacklustre start to the ongoing campaign but stability at the back has been one of the few positives for Solskjaer, who spent a fortune to bolster his backline by signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire in the summer.

Having conceded 12 goals in 12 Premier League outings so far, the Red Devils seem to have gone a long way towards sorting out their defensive issues. And with that in mind, a promising youngster like Ben White certainly fits the bill.

Verdict

The 22-year-old has already proven his mettle at the Championship level and he still has plenty of time on his side to make significant adjustments to his game to match the demands of playing in the Premier League.

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With that in mind, Man United’s interest in Ben White is yet another instance of the club’s renewed faith in homegrown young talents and completing a deal for him could pay off handsomely in the future.