Who is Robin Le Normand? The centre back courted by Manchester United and Liverpool

Robin Le Normand is a Spain international centre back currently playing his football for Real Sociedad and has captured the attention of clubs in England with a fee of €50million being touted.

As revealed by TEAMtalk’s Samuel Bannister, Manchester United and Liverpool are heavily interested in the 26-year-old Spanish international as he continues to impress in San Sebastian.

Le Normand joined Real Sociedad from French side Brest in 2016 and initially played for Real Sociedad B in the Spanish second tier before being promoted to the first team in 2018.

Born in France, Le Normand never made any appearances at youth level for Les Bleus and made the switch to the Spanish national team after obtaining Spanish nationality in 2023 where he was immediately called up to represent them.

He has appeared in nine of Sociedad’s 10 league games so far this season as he was rested for their game against Valencia so he would be fit to play in the Basque derby against Athletic Bilbao, where he would open the scoring in a 3-0 home victory.

Le Normand has also started each of Sociedad’s three Champions League games this campaign as they sit top of their group after impressive wins away at RB Salzburg and Benfica and a draw at home to Inter.

Le Normand’s career so far

A product of the Brest academy, the centre-half appeared 39 times for Brest’s second team and only made one league appearance for the French club before joining Real Sociedad in 2016.

The 26-year-old played 82 times for Sociedad’s B team across three years in the second division before being promoted to the first team in 2018.

He made his first team and LaLiga debut in November 2018 in a 2-1 victory at home against Celta Vigo.

Following the departure of Mexican centre-half Hector Moreno, Le Normand became a regular for Real Sociedad in the top flight.

He has been ever-present since the start of the 2019/20 season and has featured predominantly as the left centre-half in a back four.

Since gaining his Spanish nationality in 2023, Le Normand has played six times for his adopted country and has featured alongside fellow French-born defender Aymeric Laporte.

Robin Le Normand (@ln_robin): another name to add to the list of upcoming French centre-backs… 🇫🇷

💙 @RealSociedadEN 💙#ViveLaLigaSantander pic.twitter.com/venRLqAEdn

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) September 7, 2020

What is Le Normand like as a player?

Standing at 1.87m (6ft 2), Le Normand isn’t exactly the tallest centre-half you will come across, but is imperious in the air.

Last season he won 3.48 aerial duels a game, putting him firmly in the 96th percentile.

This season it has dropped to around 2.9, though this may be because Sociedad face fewer long balls per 90 minutes and not a reflection that Le Normand has dropped off.

As well as getting praise for his aerial prowess, he is also more than competent on the ball as he is attempting 59 passes per game in all competitions this season, completing 89.7 per cent, whilst also attempting 2.4 long balls per game this campaign.

Sociedad enjoy playing with a high line and using offside traps, with Le Normand’s concentration integral to making sure that they don’t get caught out at the back.

Where will Le Normand go?

At 26, Le Normand is heading towards his prime years as a centre-half and only seems to be gradually improving.

With defenders not peaking until later in their careers unlike most players, Le Normand could be playing at the highest level for the next decade.

This naturally has clubs on alert as Man United and Liverpool have both been linked with a move for the adopted Spaniard.

United have struggled with injuries in defensive positions this season as players such as Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane all having issues.

Out-of-favour Harry Maguire has recently been reinstated in the team after he was stripped of the captaincy at the start of the season following a disappointing run of form at Old Trafford. Sergio Reguilon was brought in on loan from Spurs and Jonny Evans came in as a free agent to help plug gaps.

Le Normand has a good injury record playing 48 out of 51 games in 2021–22 and playing 41 times in all competitions last season for his club.

A consistent backline is something United have struggled to maintain and Le Normand could be a key addition to the Red Devils’ defence.

With Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip both 32, Liverpool are reportedly looking at Le Normand, six years their junior, as a longer-term option at the heart of their defence.

Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez have also both appeared frequently this season but Le Normand could add another layer of cover if an injury was to occur, though it’s hard to see him accepting a role primarily off of the bench anywhere.