Man Utd in hunt for defender that has won 21 of his last 25 games

Despite Manchester United having five more than capable centre backs on their books at present, speculation suggests another may be on his way to Old Trafford in January and if true, David Moyes will be purchasing himself a real winner.

Roma could only finish sixth in Serie A last season, losing 12 of their 38 fixtures in the process.

This time they are still unbeaten through the first 17 league games of the campaign and although it would be doing others a slight disservice to hand Mehdi Benatia full responsibility for this, his arrival has certainly made a difference.

Roma have conceded only seven goals in these 17 games and Benatia is developing quite the reputation for being a winner.

Of his last 25 Serie A appearances for both Udinese and Roma, Benatia has secured maximum points on 21 occasions, drawing the other four.

It is Benatia’s positioning and anticipation that make him such a defensive rock and it is almost certain to cost Man Utd somewhere in the region of €30m if they are to lure him from Roma in January.

After all, this is the same Roma that received a similar sum for Marquinhos from PSG in the summer.

Man Utd are rediscovering their own winning mentality of late, with five straight successes in league and cup, which has brought them back onto the coattails of the leaders in the Premier League title race.

The Red Devils are now only eight points adrift of league leaders Arsenal and only five points shy of pushing into the top four.

Despite this upturn in form and their pedigree as champions, Man Utd’s odds are still 14/1 to win the Premier League and 10/11 to secure a top-four finish.