Seamus Coleman is a good defender. And he’s probably an even better attacker. The Everton man is an obvious target for Manchester United, having previously played under David Moyes, but also a strange a one.

Given the severity of Man United’s problems, Coleman is never going to be the answer. Which is what makes the priority that the club assign to buying the player seem so odd.

The most common criticism of Man United’s interest in Seamus Coleman is that it lacks imagination. Having already signed Marounne Fellaini from his previous club, and failed to acquire Leighton Baines, David Moyes has made the leap to targeting Everton’s ‘other attacking full-back’.

However, the degree of imagination is not a good criteria on which to judge transfer policy. If Coleman is the right man for Man United, he’s the right man for Man United. The level of abstraction in the thought process is beside the point.

And Coleman may be the right man for Man United. He’d certainly be more right than Rafael. The Brazilian’s game hasn’t matured to the level required and he remains a liability, especially against better opposition. Watching Rafael attempt to defend against Liverpool was painful. Exciting, but painful.

While his abilities going forward remain an advantage for United, the club’s recent decline means that the team have to do a lot more of their work without the ball. Therefore, signing a right-back who is stronger defensively would be a reasonably shrewd move as Moyes attempts to rebuild.

However, defending isn’t Coleman’s forte either. The two full-backs have similar strengths and weaknesses. Rafael’s game may be more about winning the ball early, with Coleman undoubtedly a more patient defender, and a better striker of the ball. But both players are better when going forward than going back, and more prone to individual errors than is generally acceptable for a defender at the highest level.

It seems strange to make players who would only likely make a marginal improvement a primary target when more drastic improvements could be more easily achieved in other areas. For a start, finding someone for the opposite side of Manchester United’s defence has to be of greater importance. Even if Evra wasn’t leaving, a left-back would be in greater need, but the Frenchman’s imminent departure renders recruitment in this position a priority.

The centre of Man United’s defence also looks to be in more urgent need of attention. With Vidic bound for Milan, and Ferdinand seemingly a spent force, what two years ago may have seemed like the strongest area of the team now provides a problem for David Moyes. Even if one believe that Jones and Evans are good enough to be Man United first-choice defensive pairing, the latter remains injury prone, and Smalling an unconvincing deputy.

And we are yet to mention the area of Man United’s squad that is most obviously in need of improvement. Ryan Giggs demonstrated against Olympiakos the difference that quality midfield play can make, and recruiting in central midfielder has the potential to have the greatest immediate impact on the team’s prospects.

Which is what make’s United’s apparent priority of signing a right-back so worrying. Even if Rafael is deemed by Moyes to be too unreliable against better opposition, the manager has more defensive options in this position, such as Jones and Smalling.

While Seamus Coleman would undoubtedly improve Man United’s team, the improvements would likely only be marginal. The defender would be an astute signing if the team were largely strong in other areas of the pitch, but given United’s well-documented problems, a new right-back just feels like a luxury.

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