New Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is likely to be busy in the transfer market this summer
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal looks set for a busy summer at Old Trafford attempting to reshape his squad ahead of the new season.
The Red Devils have already added full-back Luke Shaw and playmaker Ander Herrera to their squad, but the strengthening is very unlikely to finish there.
Confirmed
United chief executive Ed Woodward has confirmed there will be new arrivals by telling MUTV: “There is no fixed budget. Financially we are extremely strong, we have funds available,”
“Louis is the boss and is assessing what’s going on but we have been in dialogue for some time about targets so there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes… we’re continuing to move forward on some of those targets… so watch this space.
“The time he (Van Gaal) spends here as well (in America) he’ll be able to assess more what he’s got and continue to tweak the decisions if we need to. We want to do what it takes to win the title.”
Title
Van Gaal is a highly-rated boss and has won silverware in a number of Europe’s top leagues. However, talk of winning the Premier League title may be slightly premature. United finished seventh in the top-flight last season and endured a terrible season.
Not many teams go from finishing seventh in the Premier League to then winning the title the next season, although Liverpool went close last season.
Van Gaal also takes time to get his ideas across to the players that play under him. When he does his teams tend to win titles. United’s biggest aim has to be to get back into the Champions League next season.
The title looks unrealistic at the moment, despite the Red Devils being third favourites to lift the trophy at odds of 5/1. The likes of arch-rivals Manchester City and Chelsea look more equip to take the crown next season.
Clear-out
It is quite possible that Van Gaal could have a big clear-out this summer, with a number of mediocre players in his squad at Old Trafford leaving. The likes of Tom Cleverley, Anderson and Bebe all look likely to be sold this summer.
Cleverley failed to perform last season and has never lived up to his potential at Old Trafford. Anderson is another who has struggled to fulfil what was supposed to be big potential. The Brazilian spent the second half of last season on-loan in Serie A with Fiorentina.
Bebe has made just two Premier League appearances for United since joining the Red Devils in 2010. He has since had loan spells with Besiktas in Turkey and also in Portugal with Rio Ave and more recently Pacos de Ferreira.
Then there is last summer’s big signing Marouane Fellaini, who has struggled badly in midfield since his £27million move from Everton. The big Belgium international found his appearances restricted by fitness worries and injuries. Still he would have to be considered a flop.
Perennial super sub striker Javier Hernandez is also being linked with a move elsewhere. The Mexican forward is currently behind Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck in the striking pecking order at Old Trafford.
Linked
United have been linked with a number of names in recent weeks. The two that consistently seem to come up are Holland and Ajax full-back Daley Blind and Chile and Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal. Both players enjoyed decent World Cup’s with their respective countries.
Vidal has been considered one of the most complete central midfielders in the world for a couple of years now. At Juventus he has developed into a player that can do everything and anything. Vidal has also been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool this summer, but it seems that United may be his most likely destination.
Arsenal centre-back Thomas Vermaelen is also believed to be close to making a switch to Old Trafford. United lost veteran centre-backs Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand this summer after their contracts expired.
However they have youngsters Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, along with Jonny Evans who can play at centre-back, but look in need of another experienced centre-back.
Improvement
I am sure that Van Gaal will make a host of signings before the Premier League season kicks off and we will be looking at a completely different Manchester United team next season. The Red Devils will improve from last season, because let’s face it they could not get much worse.
Last season is likely to be a blip for United and with Van Gaal at the helm the Red Devils are now likely to move in the right direction.
Who will Manchester United sign this summer?
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