The ex-United captain believes his old side need an experienced defensive leader who can help the younger players
Nemanja Vidic has claimed Man United need an experienced defensive leader in their side to help the youth players who break through.
The defender – who used to captain the Red Devils himself before moving to Inter Milan and then retiring – believes it is a must-have in the current side with so many young players currently breaking through.
This season alone we have seen several youth academy products break into the first-team – mainly defenders – and with more still to come, Vidic believes now is a better time than ever to bring in a leader in defence to help them develop.
He said: “I think it’s more difficult for defenders, especially when you have three or four of them playing together in the same match in defence, I think you need someone who can lead these young boys.
“Manchester United always need to win trophies and when the club don’t, players have to accept some criticism and that can be hard for the younger ones to take.
“They need some experienced players to take that weight off their backs.”
Five youth team defenders have been called up
Louis Van Gaal has struggled with several injuries this year, especially in defence and it has led to him calling up several youth team defenders and giving them their first-team debuts.
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Timothy Fosu-Mensah are two who have featured quite prominently at the back for the Red Devils this year, while Regan Poole, Joe Riley and Donald Love have also all featured for the first time.
It isn’t just defenders who have been given a chance by Van Gaal this year – Marcus Rashford is another player who has been given his chance this year and taken it firmly with both hands.
With so many youngsters coming up, Vidic could be right about bringing in an experienced head who can help them develop into potentially world-class players.
