Saturday’s 4-0 defeat to Rotherham United means Blackburn Rovers have now suffered three defeats in their last five outings.

It’s been a very up and down season for Rovers so far, with the club having yet to draw a game in the league and having only won one more game than they have lost.

The thumping defeat at the hands of Rotherham now means Blackburn have conceded 34 times in the Championship, a number that makes their defence the worst in the top 10 of the league standings.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that there has been talk of Blackburn trying to improve their defence in this January transfer window. One player that the club has been linked with is Hibernian’s Ryan Porteous, who the club have now reportedly made a six-figure offer for.

However, reports from Italy are now suggesting that Serie A side Udinese are stepping up their efforts to sign the defender this month.

While a report from the Lancashire Telegraph has recently stated that the club have held discussions with players and are looking at potential deals, but they are waiting for things to fall into place.

So, as it seems that Jon Dahl Tomasson is keen on adding to his defence and Porteous is looking a difficult deal to do, one player that the club should turn their attentions to is Manchester United’s Teden Mengi.

Last summer the defender was hampered with injuries and, therefore, saw any potential loan move to an EFL club scuppered. The 20-year-old, who is United’s under-23 captain, has recently returned to full fitness and has featured three times in Premier League 2, as well as appearing twice in the EFL Trophy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Furthermore, the young man is no stranger to football in the Championship, as he spent the second half of the 20/21 season on loan at Derby County before, a year later, joining Birmingham on loan for the remainder of that campaign.

Across his two loan spells, Mengi has made 18 appearances in the Championship, and despite him not playing regularly for United’s under-23s, he is still a decent centre-back at this level and someone who could improve any side.

Mengi is still at the age where he needs to develop more, and there will be rookie mistakes; however, he is someone who has grown up in the United academy and will have picked up much knowledge throughout the years and will have learnt from his time at Derby and Birmingham.

He is a player that is comfortable on the ball and has the ability to play in any type of makeshift defence, and as shown at academy level, he can also feature at full-back. United would probably be willing to allow the defender to leave on loan this month, as the club have plenty of options at senior level and it seems at this moment in time, he isn’t near the first team squad.

The Red Devils would probably rather see Mengi feature at Championship level for these six months than remain at the academy level, playing sides that are not as strong.

Of course, there is a difference between academy football and the Championship, but Mengi has a growing reputation at United, and considering he has played in the league before, it could be a smart move from Blackburn to sign the young man on loan this month.