Calvin Bassey Man Utd links are gathering pace after Manchester United added the Fulham and Super Eagles defender to their January defensive shortlist, according to the Daily Mail. The 26-year-old joins Brentford captain Nathan Collins and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite on a three-man list drawn up to fix a defence that has become the worst problem at Old Trafford.
United’s need is impossible to ignore. Carrick’s side have conceded 30 goals in 15 competitive matches this season, including 19 in their opening 10 Premier League games and 15 in their last five. They have kept just one clean sheet all season, and Carrick has already used 11 different defensive combinations. Sunday’s chaotic 4-4 draw with Aston Villa, in which United conceded twice inside the opening four minutes, summed up the crisis.
Calvin Bassey Man Utd: Why United Want Him in January
United had originally planned to overhaul their defence next summer, after spending the last window rebuilding midfield with Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans. But the disastrous start — 18th in the Premier League, eight points from 10 games, one win — could force the club into the market two windows early. Injuries to Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt have stripped the squad of depth, and no senior defender was signed in the summer.
Calvin Bassey fits the profile United are chasing: a powerful, left-footed centre-back with Premier League experience and the physicality to handle the division’s best strikers. He joined Fulham from Ajax in July 2023 and has become a fixture in Marco Silva’s side, reaching 100 Premier League appearances earlier this season — a milestone Fulham marked with a plaque before the Newcastle game, in which he captained the side. He has already scored against United at Old Trafford, netting in Fulham’s 2-1 win there in February 2024, and helped Rangers reach the 2022 Europa League final.
Collins, 25, offers a different profile — a commanding 6ft 5in Republic of Ireland international who joined Brentford from Wolves for £23 million in 2023. Branthwaite remains the most expensive option: data firm SciSports puts his estimated value at around €50 million, while Everton inserted a £70 million release clause in his new contract last year. Bassey, by contrast, is valued at around €27 million by the same firm — the cheapest of the three, and the one United could realistically land in January.
What it means for Bassey — and the Super Eagles
The timing could hardly be better for the Nigerian. Bassey arrived in Uyo on Tuesday morning and trained with the Super Eagles on Tuesday evening ahead of Friday’s AFCON 2027 qualifier against Tanzania at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium. He is an Africa Cup of Nations finalist with Nigeria from the 2023 tournament, and a mainstay of Eric Chelle’s side. A January move to Old Trafford would be the biggest of his career, and Fulham would be reluctant to lose a regular starter mid-season.
Whoever takes charge at Old Trafford will inherit the rebuild. Carrick is expected to leave, with the Monaco meeting deciding his future today, and the Pochettino deal being finalised — but the defensive shortlist has been drawn up by the club’s recruitment team, and Bassey is on it regardless of who is in charge for the Liverpool trip on 22 November.
For now, his focus is Friday in Uyo. But when the January window opens, the Super Eagles star may have a decision to make — and the Calvin Bassey Man Utd links show United have made their interest clear. For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC0 — Timmy96) — collage by SportsBuddy
