United transfer news/rumours/speculation etc. etc. etc.

Van Gaal has commented on the possibility of signing Strootman, claiming we'll have to wait and see how he comes back from injury.

While a move has been rumoured I think this clearly suggests he wants him... probably won't be this window though.

 

Rafael is injured yet again. I hope we sign a RB that can be relied upon

 

I think that's pretty much Valencia's role now, particularly if we stick with 3-5-2.

 

We better prepare ourselves for endless speculation on strootman up until deadline day now

Roma manager said he's going to start running now, it'll be around 4-6 weeks before he can play competitively. Thrown in with match fitness and sharpness. If Van Gaal were to move for him at the end of this window we'd be looking at 2-3 weeks before he plays a game for us. Would make more sense waiting till January however its notoriously difficult to sign anybody then. Our first 6 games for me are very kind to us, Carrick should be back by the time the big games start coming.

 

If Vidal is off the table and we feel Carvalho is too expensive I think we should bring him in sooner rather than later. Of course there are no guarantees he'll return at the level he was, but he'd be better than almost everyone we have regardless.

Still I imagine we're going to wait until he's playing out of his skin again, before stumping up an extra £10 million to secure his services.

 

It'd be very foolish to wait for Strootman. We needed another midfielder even before Carrick got injured, now we desperately need one. Playing until Christmas and having to depend on Fletcher, Fellaini and Cleverley, whilst hoping Herrera can play every game, is just asking for trouble

 

To be honest mate over the last 5 years this theory has been drastically reduced. Physical recovery and performance from these injuries is not a problem at the highest level anymore. I've witnessed this first hand and trust me when players have a long term injury like this the rehabilitation is the easy part. Psychologically is where these athletes struggle

The problem is if we go and get him now then he won't be fit until carrick is back anyway? Blind would be a good option, he could play that role Fletcher played in the first half against galaxy to a tee, with the added bonus of his versatility at left back and his familiarity with the 352

 

Typically UTD have never conducted big transfers in January. Mata is an exception and only went through because Chelsea wanted shut of the player. That won't happen wit Strootman at Roma. I think it is either this summer, and hope that he comes back 100% fit, or wait until next year. Obviously we can't wait for a CM.

Who is out there though that would drastically improve us there and be attainable? The answer is no-one. We'd be better off signing players in positions of upmost importance (CB,CM) rather than addressing areas that can wait. We have Rafael, Valencia (not good enough defensively) and the young lad Janko coming through at RB.

I don't rate him defensively. He was caught out a few times against LA Galaxy.

I think Blind would be a decent buy. CM, CB and LB cover, at a cheap price - 12-15M. He isn't a stand-out player though.

We're doing well at shipping players out though. So far:

Evra
Vidic
Ferdinand
Buttner
Giggs
Bebe

I imagine we'll ship out a few more as well. That would be a good squad turnover.

 

He'll cost more in January, particularly if Roma are doing well and though you're correct, he won't play before Carrick's back, I still think he's worth bringing in earlier.

Introduce him to the players, expose him to the pace of the league and rotate him with Carrick, with a view to replacing him in the coming year.

I think we need something in this window. We need a signing that shows our pulling power and infuses the fans with a bit of confidence.

As it stands we've signed two very good players with great potential, but we haven't bought a player that will drastically change our fortunes.

Much like we felt Berbatov was the missing key a few years ago (how wrong we were), I feel a Vidal or Strootman is the missing man this time around.

 

We don't have Rafael though, that's the point, he's always injured! And We're one of the richest clubs on the planet, what is the reasoning behind prioritising other areas at the expense of other areas? Can we not afford a RB on top of a midfielder and a defender?

Shipping out players is all well and good, but if you want us to replace them with players like Blint then we're not going to make massive strides forward are we

No what I meant is it would be foolish to wait for Strootman at the expense of not signing another midfielder now. I'm fine with waiting to sign him, provided we bring in someone this summer

 

I think our priority right now should be a central defender. Right now we're left with Jones, Evans, Smalling and Keane. That is not in any way reassuring...

 

Like I've said before; Vidal, Vrij and Blind would be a good transfer window for us I think.

While I'd agree Valencia isn't a great RB he is serviceable and there are more important areas of the pitch to address in my opinion.

If we were to get Vidal, or even Strootman they would provide great protection for the back four, as will Herrera. We're also playing with a pseudo back five too, so if we are well drilled I don't see any reason to worry about our defensive strength.


Admittedly this comes from someone who would be happy to see Jones and Smalling get a good run in the team and has faith in their ability... I am aware I am in the minority however.

 

I think were also forgetting that yes all of our midfielders were shocking last season, but they may have a new lease of life under van gaal and actually start to play well? A bit optimistic mind

 

Because you can't replace nearly a full team in one transfer window? I think we would be able to afford it, but we have had problems prising the biggest of stars away from clubs and as far as I am aware there aren't any up-and-coming RBs of interest that would significantly bolster our RB slot. Who do you suggest?

I think Blind is a good player and you're doing a disservice to him there. He won Dutch player of the year last season and had a quality WC. He is a very, very good player.

Edit: Just forgot as well, but I saw Cleverley's comments in the press conference with Van Gaal. Saying that he watched the Dutch a lot at the World Cup and that he is Van Gaal's type of player. Not sure how much Louis would agree with that

 

I actually think Cleverly could fit in to the system. He's never going to start, but LVG might see some value in him. He's a neat and tidy player who isn't good enough to play in a midfield two, but could be useful in a three.

He'll never set the world alight but as an option, someone who can come off the bench or fill a hole? I'd keep him around.

 

I agree with your assessment. Cleverley could be a real nice squad player for us. Giving guys a rest when needed. I think we saw Fletcher isn't up to it and I have yet to see Fellaini ever play well enough. Maybe LvG can get more out of him. I think Valencia will be fine as our right wing back. I also do not recall him getting caught out against LA. Seems to me Shaw and Evans were having the issues. Hopefully we bring in 2 or 3 more players, I would like to see 2 center mids and 1 center defensive back.

 

Again??? My word.

 

Ahh yes re-read your post, apologies




Also, am I the only one that thought Shaw seriously struggled against galaxy? Yes I know he's young, in a new system/team and has his pressure from his pricetag, but he seemed to have zilch pace?