Pau Torres has been linked to Manchester United all year and the club finally got a chance to take a look at him first hand.
Torres came out on top with Villarreal beating United on penalties.
The MEN reported this week Torres is on United’s shortlist of defensive targets and the final was being viewed as an audition.
In that sense, Torres passed with flying colours, and can now leave Villarreal on a high if United come calling.
Torres shines while Lindelof struggles
Pau Torres’ composure at one end was at odds with Victor Lindelof getting exposed at another set piece for Villarreal’s goal.
Torres was excellent throughout and helped marshall Edinson Cavani well.
He made one outstanding headed block to stop Cavani’s header from Luke Shaw’s ball in.
Torres blocked two shots in total, and made four clearances, and even got forward to have two shots at goal himself.
This wasn’t like Dayot Upamecano’s undressing at Old Trafford earlier in the season, when a talented centre-back linked with the club was exposed by United’s attackers.
Torres coped very well and if United buy him this summer, he might prove to be an upgrade on Lindelof, and an astute partner for Harry Maguire.
Where that leaves each of the trio of Lindelof, Bailly, and Tuanzebe is unclear, but United need to upgrade.
Torres is a very credible option who has a £52 million release clause in his contract. If United’s scouts really were assessing him in Gdansk, they likely will have been very impressed.
Reaction
Here is a look at how United supporters reacted to Torres’ performance…
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- The Marcus Rashford saga has completely flipped, Ineos have turned it into a win-win for Man Utd
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- Mateus Fernandes is joining Tottenham: Why Man United made the right decision
- Marcus Rashford’s return is an underrated advantage for Man Utd academy’s crown jewel
- Explaining the roles of Michael Carrick, Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vivell in Man Utd transfer pipeline
- Amad Diallo didn’t hesitate to name ‘crazy player’ as most ‘underrated’ footballer in world right now
- Casemiro closes in on Brazil legend Bebeto after milestone World Cup goal
- Marcus Rashford receives ‘intensified’ transfer interest from two European clubs as Tottenham explore move
- Wayne Rooney says he’s ‘gutted’ that ‘fantastic’ player hasn’t signed for Manchester United
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