Players & Managers

It looks as if the Chilian will not be signing for Man Utd after all, as reports suggest a fee could not be agreed between Juventus and Manchester United. It seems silly for United not to try and break the bank to secure the signature of a player who had a fantastic season at Juventus and a brilliant World Cup for Chile. United lack some box to box firepower in midfield and he would be perfect for the role.

A player who is very capable defensively as well as being a threat going forward. Most big clubs in Europe would like a piece of Vidal if they could afford him and its rumoured that for 32m he is free to go. If United miss out on the opportunity I don’t think it will be too long before we see him sign for another European heavyweight.

Another transfer that seems to have gone quiet as it was reported he was close to agreeing a £12m move to Manchester. Vermaelen has been incredibly frustrated at Arsenal with very limited first team opportunities due to the fact that Koscielny and Mertesacker have formed such a great partnership. They complement 1 another superbly and whenever Vermaelen comes into the team he looks shaky and out of practise.

Arsenal’s club captain has shown how good he can be in previous seasons and maybe a confidence boost and some first team football could see the 28 year old return to his best. Wenger seems reluctant to sell to a rival which is understandable but if the right offer was tabled it would be hard to turn down for a player that is only on the fringes of the first team.

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As expected United have been linked with a host of Dutch nationals following the World Cup. Van Gaal guided the national side to a 3^rd place finish when people expected them to struggle to even get out of their group containing Spain, Chile and Australia. Blind had a fantastic tournament operating at left wing back and topped off his World Cup with a well taken goal in the 3^rd place play off vs Brazil.

Barcelona are also thought to be interested in Blind and Frank De Boer, current Ajax manager, has issued a hands off warning to any of the European big hitters contemplating a bid. He was the stand out left back for the tournament and Van Gaal will want to offer Luke Shaw some competition with the imminent departure of Patrice Evra.

The German missed the World Cup through injury but he has established himself as 1 of the brightest talents in the World. Liverpool have been rumoured to be preparing a £45m bid and United may choose to match that option to secure his services. Liverpool can offer him Champions League which could turn out to be a deal breaker for United. He has also expressed his desire to stay at Dortmund so it may be unlikely that we see him in the Premier League anytime soon.

Liverpool appeared to be leading the race for the Everton Wunderkind earlier in the year, and it was reported he would be available for £38m. Roberto Martinez has been attempting to ward off any interest stating that it would be a bad move for his development if he was to join United. Barkley has a very similar background to Wayne Rooney and that turned out to be a move that was initially fantastic but Rooney hasn’t reached the heights expected from when he first joined United.

The bookies have marked United and Chelsea as the favourites to sign Barkley, but with Chelsea already having bought Fabregas and Costa maybe it’s an opportunity for United to swoop in and make a bid.

Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic were released by United back in June and have already found new clubs. Van Gaal needs a new leader at the back and Hummels would be the perfect match. He was exceptional for Germany at the World Cup playing 6 out of the 7 games during Germany’s charge to the title.

According to reports United are the only team in for the Dortmund man, putting them in pole position to sign him. He would cost somewhere in the region of £20m and it seems like a no brainer for United to break the bank for him.

The Uruguayan recently announced his desire to play in the Premier League and is trying to force a move out of PSG where he has been played out of position and been unhappy for most of the season playing second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Chelsea have been linked with him but having recently signed Diego Costa it would be unlikely for them to sign a player so similar.

United may be put off bidding as they already have Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie and are expected to keep Danny Welbeck and Wilfred Zaha has young talent coming through. Any good team has a strong squad so Van Gaal may want to spend some money on a proven top quality goal scorer.

Another Dutch national who is being linked with United. Sneijder had a great World Cup linking up brilliantly with Van Persie and Robben. They terrorised defences and rolled back the years in Brazil and it is clear to see Van Gaal can get the best out of all 3 of those players. United currently own Van Persie, Robben has ruled out a move but Sneijder would be available for a nominal fee and may be a good option for United.

Sneijder has openly admitted that if Van Gaal did want him to join up at United it would be very difficult for him to turn down the move. He also said he is happy at Galatasaray, so only time will tell whether United decide to bid for the creative Dutch midfielder.

The top goal scorer at the World Cup and for me a more worthy recipient of the golden boot award. He carried Colombia to the quarter finals where they were narrowly knocked out by Brazil. Rodriguez was excellent in every game he played and scored 6 goals in 5 games. Every big club has now been linked with the Colombian but current club Monaco are resistant to sell for obvious reasons.

He joined Monaco for 38m two years ago meaning his price in the market now would be in excess of 60m which might be a bridge too far for United, who need to strengthen in other areas rather than smacking down 60m on 1 player. A signing of his quality could signal the dawn of a new age for United though and they may be tempted to bid.

This transfer might be more of a pipe dream but all United fans would love to see Pogba return to the club where it all began. He has expressed his love for United recently and Fergie has openly admitted that selling Pogba was 1 of his biggest regrets in over 20 years of management. Earmarked as the biggest talent in the World, any team would love to get their hands on the French midfielder.

He played fantastically at the World Cup and is in the mould of Patrick Vieira and exactly what United need in the midfield. He would sit with Ander Herrera, a little bit deeper than Juan Mata and he would be very effective in this position. Like Rodriguez, due to his age, Pogba would cost in the region of £60m which may put Van Gaal off striking a potential deal.