Hummels, Vidal & more - What Manchester United need in January 1. The Experienced Campaigner: Morgan Schneiderlin Morgan Schneiderlin has emerged as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League and his superb positional discipline and composure in possession was on full display for Louis van Gaal as Southampton stifled Manchester United in their 1-0 win at Old Trafford last Sunday. Michael Carrick turns 34 this year and United will be targeting a long-term successor for their midfield anchor role but with Daley Blind able to offer cover in a variety of positions across midfield, Van Gaal can afford to wait until the summer before making a move for the 25-year-old, who has also been linked with Arsenal and Tottenham. Schneiderlin has conceded that leaving Southampton in January would be “difficult”, although his future beyond the end of the season is still unclear. When asked about his transfer situation at St Mary’s, Schneiderlin told the BBC: “Thats up to everyones personal choices and the club choice. “We are going to see where we are going to finish and what everyones going to do but right now I cant predict anything.” 2. The Priority Signing: Mats Hummels Louis van Gaal’s bloated injury list has hit him hardest in defence. Out of Manchester United’s 21 Premier League fixtures so far, Chris Smalling has featured in only 12 games, while both Phil Jones and Jonny Evans have been fit for less than half of them. Marcos Rojo, United’s only addition at centre-back in the summer transfer window, has managed just 10 appearances following his arrival from Sporting. Van Gaal’s hand has been forced, and the inexperienced duo of Paddy McNair and Tyler Blackett have seen more first-team action than the Dutchman could have envisaged upon his arrival last summer. Clearly another central defender is needed at United, which is why Mats Hummels continues to be linked with a move to Old Trafford. The 26-year-old was on Van Gaal’s shortlist last summer but United’s spree, which finished in excess of £150 million, could not stretch to the Borussia Dortmund centre-back. And judging by Hummels’ reluctance to leave Dortmund, along with his insistence that money will never be a contributing factor in his decision to move, Van Gaal faces a tough task of persuading the World Cup winner to join him at United either this month or later on. 3. The Young Hotshot: Memphis Depay Louis van Gaal is a huge admirer of Memphis Depay and as Goal exclusively revealed in July, the Manchester United boss instructed the 20-year-old to remain with PSV for another season before seeking a move. Should this be his final campaign in the Eredivisie, Depay is on course to bow out on a high. The winger has 10 goals and three assists to his name in 13 league appearances, and has struck three times in four Europa League games so far. With Nani’s future unclear, Adnan Januzaj struggling to convince Van Gaal that he is worthy of a regular first-team role, and both Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia being used as wing-backs, rather than attacking midfielders, United’s wide options in the final third are currently limited. Having worked with Van Gaal extensively with the Netherlands at the World Cup, Depay is already well acquainted with the United manager’s methods. The winger has already rejected a move to Southampton, while Tottenham are likely to have retained their interest after last summer’s failed pursuit. 4. The Fantasy Signing: Arturo Vidal Even after their extensive summer recruitment drive, Manchester United still lack a dynamic central midfielder who would be integral to a sustainable Premier League title push. Arturo Vidal was one of Louis van Gaal’s primary midfield targets, along with Roma’s Kevin Strootman, but neither could be prised away from Serie A in the summer and it’s highly unlikely that either player will be heading to Old Trafford this month. Having struggled through the World Cup with a knee injury, Vidal’s season in Italy got off to a sluggish start. Reports citing the Chilean’s involvement in a nightclub brawl in Turin, coupled with further allegations of poor timekeeping at training, led to Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri demanding that the midfielder change his attitude. Although he is still far from his best, Vidal’s performances have markedly improved as the campaign has progressed and the 27-year-old looks set to be a key figure in Juventus’ Serie A title challenge once again. With Van Gaal yet to find his most potent midfield system, the Dutchman may struggle to find the quality required in the winter transfer window and may have to wait until the end of the season before launching another move for Vidal. 5. The Free Agent: Ron Vlaar When asked about Manchester United’s approach to the January window, Louis van Gaal delivered an uncompromising response: “I only want to buy players who are better quality than the ones I already have.” Based on his commanding displays in Netherlands’ World Cup campaign, Ron Vlaar proved he is capable of meeting the United manager’s standards, but at Aston Villa this season, the 29-year-old has struggled to replicate last summer’s performances. A large part of that can be attributed to a poor injury record which has restricted the centre-back to just 12 Premier League appearances so far, while a knee problem is set to keep him on the sidelines until mid-February. Vlaar’s latest injury is likely to put off interested clubs until the summer, when the Dutchman will be out of contract, but Villa already appear to be coping in the Dutchman’s absence. Losing a captain and first-choice centre-back unsettles most sides but Villa arguably look more sturdy with their current pairing of Jores Okore and Ciaran Clark. So if Paul Lambert can manage without Vlaar, it’s difficult to see how much Van Gaal would benefit from acquiring a player with a patchy injury record, even for a cut-price fee. AKN
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 11:59:00 +0000
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