Who is Denzel Dumfries? The Wan-Bissaka upgrade Man Utd need this summer
On the back of Erik ten Hag's Manchester United appointment, a host of Dutch stars have been linked with a summer move to Old Trafford. Jurrien Timber is a rumoured target to bolster at the back, while Frenkie de Jong has been heavily linked with a switch to the red side of Manchester.
It's clear plenty of work needs to be done if Ten Hag is to restore United to their former glory, though he should have plenty of backing in order to aid in this rebuild, which is a good thing because there are a number of positions that do need strengthening. Centre-back and central midfield are the priority areas for Ten Hag, particularly with United weakened in the latter position following the free exits of Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata.
There are other positions that need improvement, and if Ten Hag and United identify the right target, then you'd expect the Premier League side to make their move for a player that would bolster the squad. While Timber would be able to play right-back were he to join from Ajax this summer, a specialist in the role would improve United's chances of returning to the Champions League.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka may have been first choice right-back following his arrival from Crystal Palace, even with the 24-year-old and Diogo Dalot sharing responsibilities in the defence over the course of 2021/22, right-back is a position that can be improved upon. Considering the importance of using a full-back who can aid in the final third, that both Wan-Bissaka and Dalot failed to directly contribute to a Premier League goal last season is a damning indictment of their attacking shortcomings.
By comparison, Denzel Dumfries, who has been linked with a move to United, was directly involved in nine league goals for Inter last season, scoring five. Granted, the Dutchman operated at right wing-back, so had greater license to get forward for the Nerazzurri, yet even so; he provided the offensive output that United supporters crave.
Yet despite his solid showings in the final third, Dumfries struggled to really nail down a starting spot for Inter, at times sharing the burden on the right with ex-United man Matteo Darmian. The Serie A giants may not be prepared to lose Dumfries after just one season in Milan, but there is the possibility that they need to sell to ease their ongoing financial issues and if that means cashing in on the 26-year-old, then he is a player United should be all over, particularly when you consider that Dumfries directly contributed to just one fewer league goal for Inter last season than Wan-Bissaka has in his United career (10). When you look at last season's top three in the Premier League - Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea - each has a right-back more than capable of getting forward to provide a top class attacking threat.
Admittedly, Kyle Walker did register just the two assists for City last season, but their pursuit of a left-back this summer means Joao Cancelo, who returned seven league assists in 2021/22, could return to right-back for next season. In addition, Tottenham are expected to land another right wing-back this summer, with Djed Spence set to move to the north London side, with United's 'Big Six' rivals either boasting a quality attacking option, or are in the process of strengthening in one way or another.
United, then, need to maximise the opportunity to bring in an attacking full-back with Dumfries fitting the bill. Whether he'd suit playing at right-back in a 4-2-3-1 setup, it remains to be seen, but if United do sign a ball winning central midfielder, then the Dutchman could prove a solid addition to the squad. Importantly is that Dumfries would grant Ten Hag's side some greater attacking adaptability.
Only Aston Villa (31%) attacked down their right flank less than United (33%) in the Premier League last season, whereas the likes of Chelsea (40%), Spurs (39%) and Liverpool (38%) did so more. That meant United became predictable in their buildup as they focussed their efforts down the opposite flank. It's no wonder, then, that United netted just 57 league goals last season, that the eighth highest in the division. For a team that has the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho, to name three, on the books, that should be higher.
Having an alternative outlet down the right, and one as forward thinking as Dumfries, would benefit United, who could have both full-backs working in tandem to hurt opponents down their respective flanks. The Netherlands international might not put balls into the box as freqeuntly as some might hope, but a cross success rate of 33.3% was 25th best of the 161 players to attempt 25 or more crosses in Serie A last season. By comparison, Wan-Bissaka returned a cross success rate of 22.9%, with Dalot a minor improvement at 25.7%. Evidently picking out a United player in the opposition box is a trait that can be improved up, particularly as a striker as effective in the air as Ronaldo leads the charge.
In addition, Dumfries put up an average of 1.2 key passes per 90 for Inter last season, which may not seem like much, but when you consider Wan-Bissaka (0.7) and Dalot (0.8) created fewer chances per 90 than the Oranje star, then it's clear there is a weakness here that needs strengthening.
And if United do firm up their rumoured interest in Dumfries, then he'd afford Ten Hag the chance to go with a three-man defence should the opportunity present itself, with wing-back arguably the Netherlands international's best position. Supporters may believe that other positions in the squad need to be addressed first, yet if Dumfries is available as Inter seek to balance the books, then he'd add the attacking thrust from right-back that United have been sorely lacking in recent seasons.
