David Carmo: Things to know about Manchester United linked defender compared to Virgil van Dijk

Bengaluru, Nov 17: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still searching for a new left-sided defender who can partner Harry Maguire, with Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe all used at the back this season. Lindelof is Maguire's most regular partner, but with the Swedish still, very much unconvincing question marks have been raised over his long-term future.

United hence, lately have been credited with interest on RB Leipzig's Dayot Upemecano for. However, he is now joined by a new name- 21-year-old Portuguese defender David Carmo. Carmo will not be a name well-known to many fans due to his limited experience in senior football, but the 21-year-old is already making a name for himself.

So, here are a couple of things you need to know about the defender:

His journey so far

The young defender was part of a highly-rated group of Portuguese youngsters that won the under-19 European Championships in 2018, playing four times in the tournament. But he only made to break into Braga's first-team last year in February. Since then has been a constant presence in the line-up, already making 27 appearances- eight of which have come in the ongoing campaign. He has continued to perform for the Portuguese outfit and has rapidly become hot property leading an array of European clubs, most notably Manchester United keeping a close eye on him.

Playing Style

The 6 feet 5 inches tall defender has earned comparisons with Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk due to his big stature and ability on the ball. He's an intimidating presence in the box and him winning 81% of aerial duels this season, speaks volume about his strength at set-pieces. Plus he has a 91 per cent tackling success rate this season - the highest in the Portuguese Primeira Liga while averaging 2.2 tackles per match. His passing range also has been sublime with 84 per cent passing accuracy rate.

Transfer Fee

United would have to splash a fee close to €40million for Carmo. The youngster earlier reportedly only has had a clause of €20million. But he has signed a fresh deal recently which has doubled the amount. His new deal will now keep him at Braga until 2025.

Clubs interested

Not only Manchester United, as per The Athletic almost 10 clubs have reportedly made contact with Carmo’s representatives. Some of the Premier League’s six biggest teams are apparently also among the interested parties. In the Summer, Carmo was reportedly targetted by Fiorentina while Roma had a £15 million bid turned off. So, now it remains to be seen if the interests in Carmo do transform into something substantial in the January transfer window.