Manchester United: Sign £38m Midfielder, Offload Cleverley, And Play 4-3-3 To Contend For Premier League Title Next Season

Reports in the Express are saying that Manchester United are after the signature of Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal this summer, with the Chile international being valued at £38 million. For me, this would be the most important signing of the summer for the Old Trafford club.

He has everything that Louis van Gaal could possibly want in a midfielder.

He has bags of energy and will run for the entire 90 minutes, closing down the space, making life hard for his opponents and opening gaps for his team-mates.

What United really need from a central midfielder is goals. Vidal scored 11 in Serie A last season and another five in the Champions League and would certainly deliver on that front at Old Trafford.

He also creates opportunities from the middle - last season he made 47 chances and notched five assists.

He has the necessary aggression, the determination and the experience needed to run the United midfield, and I thoroughly hope the move happens.

I would then look to offload Tom Cleverley to make space, and have a midfield trio of Michael Carrick, Marouane Fellaini and Vidal.

That would allow the attack to consist of three of Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Juan Mata, Shinji Kagawa, Antonio Valencia and Danny Welbeck in the 4-3-3.

For me, that squad will compete for the Premier League title next season.

Comments

[Spanish Red]

Absolute rubbish! That team would contend, but for relegation nothing else.
Starting at the front: Rooney is overweight, overpaid and now vastly overrated and should be sold so his ridiculous wages can pay two or threee players. He is a cry-baby who always wants his own way, which he won't get with van Gaal.
Welbeck has never realised the potential that only other people have ever been able to see, certainly not me.
Valencia, since he broke his leg, has struggled and now can't beat players so generally ends up losing the ball.
Carrick has been past his sell by date for the last three years and now can only see a sideways pass. again, just not good enough.
Fellaini is not United quality and, if we can recoup say 15 million, that would be a good move.
Of the rest, I agree that Kagawa should be given longer, Mata is quality as is van Persie and Vidal would be a great addition, but we're not going to challenge for the title with these four plus De Gea.
Consequently, when people talk about United needing five or six new players they don't mean one, as you seem to think.
I admire the optimism of this article. it is matched only by the sheer naivete of it's author.

[Red Devil]

I totally agree with 'Spanish Red'. United are quite a few players short of being top class and if only Vidal is added to the squad, yet another trophyless season will beckon followed by another failure to qualify for the Champions League.
There are too many United players who are either past their best or plainly no longer up to the standard required at OT and should Fellaini remain at the club then there are also people who are in control that should also pack their bags and leave PDQ!

[Stevey]

Spanish Red obviously has absolutely no idea about football in general, and is surely a plastic fan. Rooney had a great season, and while seen as a scapegoat by most, IS our best player. Wellbeck is played out of position but if used more wisely, is very useful for the club. I will agree with the Valencia post, it seems you are not completely incompetent. Carrick was by far one of the best midfielders in the country season before last, saying he is three years passed his sell by date is outrageous.

Fellaini needs to be kept for another season to prove himself, although as a squad player, not a starter. I do not agree that we need 5/6 new players. Tactically Moyes was awful last season which caused our players to lose confidence in themselves. I would be happy with 2/3 signings. Vidal would be a fantastic signing. A solid, proven CB and a winger. We need no improvement in attack. If not Vidal we just need a strong DM.

[Spanish Red]

I'm not sure what a plastic fan is, but if it is someone who has been going to Old Trafford since the days of Best, Law and Charlton, supporting the club through relegation and every other form of disappointment possible, then I am guilty as charged. Unlike Stevey who, I guess by the name, is a relatively new addition to the world and has only known good times at Old Trafford.
It is fairly obvious that Stevey hasn't seen many great payers if he thinks that Rooney is our best player. He won't score as many as van Persie, he won't create as many as Mata, he is overweight, overpaid and overrated. At the first sign of something happening with which he doesn't agree the toys get thrown out of the pram. Ferguson should have sold im at the first sign of dissent and I am surprised he didn't. Moyes should then have sold him but gave him a kings ransom instead, more money wasted.
Look at last season's top four and ask yourself which one, if any, would have Welbeck in the team? None of them, is the answer. He is a willing runner and nothing else.
I will accept the argument with Carrick. he is not three years past his best, only two. I am also prepared to accept that Fellaini was mainly played out of position, by a manager who knows him better than any other, so maybe should be given until January.
I also agree we need no improvement in attack, just cover assuming Hernandez leaves.
So you also are not completely incompetent, as I actually agree with about 25% of what you say. By my reckoning that makes you only 75% incompetent.

[Eoin]

Hi Stevey and Spanish Red. I don't think either are incompetent as you both just have a difference of opinion. I agree with both of you on some points. The bottom line is that United need to improve there squad, we all know that. I do think Rooney is past his best (sadly) but I think selling him wouldn't be the answer and if anything he is still a quality player. If you put Rooney in Chelsea's squad or Liverpool's squad last year then that team would've won the league. He is in fact on the same wages as RvP contrary to what reports tell us. He is on 240k a week plus bonuses from sponsorship and advertisement. I also agree with Stevey on the issue of Felleni and that under Moyes the team lacked confidence. Moyes style of play was far too negative as he had the CM playing as DMF the whole season. It's clear that we need more than one player to solve Uniteds problems at the moment but I think getting Van Gaal is a major coup and if he was in charge last season with the same squad i don't think they would have finished seventh. The problems started much earlier than what most fans fail to realize (who by and by seem to have a short term memory). United have been crying out for midfielders since Roy Keane left the club. It was Scholes who carried the club for years after Keane left and neither one of these players have been replaced. I also think that Uniteds glory days are probably at an end (for a while) unless VG is a miracle worker. The main reason for this is that City and Chelsea are backed by billionaires who throw money into the random managers pockets every year as though it was confetti. All the while the Glazers sat back and watched the debt slowly go down.
United DO have a fair few average players but then they always did but back in the day it didn't matter so much. Even the Charlton Law Best days you could hardly say the likes of Crerand were world class but he was a great squad player who did his best for the team. Now in todays climate it's a gamble buying a 30-40 million pound player who has no connection with the club and might want to head to Madrid when they come knocking. I think Young is a waste of space and he's on the forth highest wage at the club!. How incompetent is that!. I think Moyes did a few things right in bringing Januzaj into the first team and getting him down on a new contract AND shipping out Fabio Anderson and bringing in Mata. Did you know Januzaj was on his last FOUR months of his contract before he signed how incompetent is that! How incompetent is it that Paul Pogba was left on the bench and Park and Valencia were played ahead of him in the FA cup so that he decided to leave!. As I said there are many problems at United way before last season and we are now in a huge dilemma. Why it needed a completely catastrophic season to realize that it is glaringly obvious the squad needed a make over is beyond me. What happened to money we got for Ronaldo?, why are we on the american stock market? Why did we not buy Hazard, Sanchez, Snielder, Maura, Strootman etc etc every year we fail to buy players?? Why are we even in debt?? All these issues can be answered in one word GLAZERS!! This is not the Rooneys fault!, not Moyes fault for not being good enough!, it's the f**king Glazers and they have milked and destroyed united the last ten years. Did you know that if you even include investment and take player transfers into account into the club the Glazers have ained a Capital of 670 million U.S. $. So no neither of you are incompetent when it comes to what to do with the club as both are valid assimilation's of what COULD be done... what WILL be done is probably very calculated.. and what HAS been done is a complete and utter disgrace and a huge two fingers to any united supporter or anyone paying for merchandise to fill the pockets of the tycoons laughing on america...

United will not dominate football for a long time and will even struggle to compete with the Chelsea's and City's for the foreseeable future,, on the upside if United fall into the doldrums for the next two three four years at least the Glazers will have to cough up!,

[jamali]

Carrick and Fellaini should be offloaded ASAP. In a very tactical and technical team, Fellaini is lost. Carrick is already a very boring player and putting them both together was the very reason we got 7th place. the ball took too long to move forward because there's no forward momentum with these 2 players. All they wanna do is play the safe and simple diagonal passes.I can't remember any time last season when we did a lightning counter attack because our boring midfielders has totally zero forward vision and cannot support the attack. Between them, they have totally zero goal threat.

Why do people keep saying "to partner Carrick"...? LVG and all the MU fans should be thinking.."how to get rid of Carrick"...!!! Carrick is devout of creativity, never a goal threat, always play diagonal passes, almost no forward passes, too slow, no intensity, not commanding...none of the attributes that defines the United medfielder in the last 2 decades. He doesn't suit in LVG's style of play. Cannot ever adopt a 433 formation. All modern formations requires only one defensive midfielder and everyone is thinking of finding someone to partner carrick? What a waste of vital space. He's only very good at the mundane stuff like recycling the ball because all he ever does is do 5 metre diagonal passes and can never bring the ball forward and take on his man. Such a boring player. can't wait to see the back of him. LVG only keeps the players who has the skill and desire to make things happen and in all columns, he doesn't tick the LVG kind of player. Not even good enough for the crappy England sideWill celebrate the day he leaves.

[Razman Rat]

It is ridiculous to suggest that by signing one player United will be able to finish in the top four, let alone win the league!

Having seen Van Gaal's Holland playing 3-5-2 at the World Cup I am beginning to think this may well be the way forward for United. It is the only formation I can see that will allow Rooney, Van Persie and Mata to play in their preferred positions whilst still offering United width with very attack minded wing backs (hopefully Shaw and Rafael). The only possible issue with this is finding the centre backs to play alongside Jones, as I am not sure how many truly world class players are going to be available at the right price.

[Waliko kayuni]

Well said Eoin. I agree with you man. There is indeed a big problem at the club. The club is just good at sporting good players. We need quality players..

[chuma]

We let go off paul pogba.what a fuck up by fergie and co.we are going to struugle to convince world class players like kroos,vidal etc to come to united.i am hopefull that with LVG coming on board things will change.We need a squad overhaul urgently.