It was a concern at Old Trafford when Jose Mourinho was at the helm that Manchester United had to strengthen their backline if they were to compete at the top of the Premier League table again.

Red Devils chiefs opted against giving the Portuguese manager the men he desired, and, in the end, it proved to be one of the many factors which cost the title-winning head coach his job.

Even an initial surge under then-caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer failed to hide the fact that centre-back is a problem area for United, who would go on to end the season with just two victories in their last 12 games in all competitions.

Now, Ed Woodward is tasked with bringing the next colossus at the back to Old Trafford and provide Solskjaer with a defender who can instil what the Red Devils lost when Nemanja Vidic left for Inter Milan five years ago.

Oddly, the men he will likely target in 2019 are some of those Mourinho had his eyes fixed on a year ago, with reports tirelessly linking United with the likes of Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, Leicester City’s Harry Maguire, Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld and Inter Milan’s Milan Skriniar.

Ajax sensation Matthijs de Ligt is another name frequently on Woodward’s speculated shortlist, just under a year after he had the chance to sign the teenager for half the £75million he is now thought to be worth. No deal was reached in 2018, though, as Dutch scout Marcel Bout – a man brought to the club by Louis van Gaal – feared the defender would follow in his father’s footsteps and lose his pace and power by putting on the pounds.

Character, good attitude, fitness, consistency, and sheer quality are all characteristics United must identify in their new centre-back, and depending on what report you read, that man is either thought to be Koulibaly or Maguire.

Some claim Koulibaly is considered too expensive at £90million, while others state the 27-year-old is the number one target at Old Trafford, as he is seen as one of the best in the business having been a rock in Serie A for Carlo Ancelotti.

If the choice boils down to making Koulibaly the most expensive defender in football history, or settling for Maguire, Woodward cannot baulk at the price he must pay for the towering Senegal international instead of England’s World Cup hero.

Unlike Maguire, Koulibaly would be able to instantly give those around him in Red a lift, and lead the likes of Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling, who have on far too many occasions shrieked back into their shells instead of puffing out their chests and refuse to be beat.

David de Gea, likewise, would benefit from having someone of Koulibaly’s calibre lining up in front of him at Old Trafford come the start of the new Premier League season, and not head into the summer pondering a future where he could either have Phil Jones gormlessly meandering around his box or head back into the continent with either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain.