Manchester United paid Spartak Moscow £7m in January 2006 to sign their Serbian centre-back Nemanja Vidic, and it could now be considered one of the bargains of the 21st century after the career he went on to have at Old Trafford.
Vidic was a brick wall and alongside Rio Ferdinand he formed one of the greatest ever centre-back partnerships, with both of them becoming United legends in the process.
Perhaps then, looking at the history of the club, current United boss Jose Mourinho was right to stand his ground so firmly in the summer as he attempted to bring a new centre back into the club.
The Red Devils were linked with Harry Maguire, Toby Alderweireld, Jerome Boateng, Yerry Mina and Diego Godin during the summer transfer window as the Portuguese boss desperately searched for an upgrade on his current options, but the only defensive addition ended up being full-back Diogo Dalot.
Since the summer, the current crop of central defenders have set about proving just why Mourinho was right to target almost anyone to add to his squad. For example, in the embarrassing 3-2 loss away at Brighton, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof were laughably bad and would have had Vidic and Ferdinand seething at their legacy.
Vidic ended up spending eight and a half years at Old Trafford, playing 300 games for the club in all competitions before leaving on a free transfer in 2014 and finishing his career at Inter Milan.
The now 38-year-old was probably one of the most feared defenders in English football, and his tough tackling and robust style helped Sir Alex Ferguson’s side to five Premier League titles, three League Cups and one Champions League title among others.
In a team full of stars, Ferdinand and Vidic maybe didn’t hit the headlines as much as United’s centre-backs are right now, but they were crucial as the base of Ferguson’s side and there is no doubt that if Mourinho could have them both in their prime, he would be shipping Bailly, Lindelof, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo on the first bus out of Manchester.
The United boss has come in for plenty of criticism in recent weeks, but Ed Woodward’s stance on the centre-back situation during the summer must now be reviewed as it is clear that Mourinho needed reinforcements.
If a manager is no longer able to add the players he feels are necessary then maybe they shouldn’t take all of the flack when things don’t go as well as expected on the pitch.
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