Centre Mid options other than Vidal..

lysglimt said:
With the way Fletcher is playing at the moment - I think we can afford to wait for Strootman.

Fletcher, Carrick, Cleverley, Mata, Herrera and Kagawa - even Fellaini maybe. It is good enough to avoid signing some 4th or 5th choice
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Fletcher can help for sure alongside Herrera. However, Cleverley has done nothing to not fall out of favor with LVG at this pace. Also, no one can tell how Carrick's injury will affect his game considering he's missing out for that long at his age. Kagawa... too premature to tell how he will perform in central midfield on a more regular basis. Fellaini... is he even in LVG's plans?

In other words, we only have 2 central midfielders who are solid enough to start the season in the particular roles assigned to them from those positions. Otherwise, we are still short in the area.
 
Witsel is several grades below United, he would cost much, probably more than Khedira, and is simply is not good enough. He is not exactly stand out in russian league, so hard to see him playing at top level in Prem.
 
If we don't get Vidal then I think we should go for Strootman. It just depends when, summer or January?
 
Jerch said:
You forgeting that he will probably really want to join Van Gaal at United and when the player is adamant to join one club the price is usually lower.
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Not always, I also think people overrate Van Gaal's pulling power with Dutch players.
 
What a ridiculous thread.
 
amolbhatia100 said:
It's about time, though. A club of United's standing not having a midfielder above carrick's level for this long is simply wrong. Look at madrid, barca, Chelsea, bayern, city, they've all got at least that one midfielder who is right up there.
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Yeah, agreed, it's been criminal especially compared to the amount of quality attackers we've had over the same period. Very disproportionate.
 
Herrera is Vidalesque in many ways, he can tackle, assist, score goals, hes one his way to becoming an all action midfielder. what we really need is a midfield anchor. Someone who can pass the ball as well as Carrick but is more mobile and aggressive. Really thought Kondogbia or Pogba are capable of doing that, at leat the former is worth a punt given that he wouldnt cost much.
 
Kakeru said:
Fletcher can help for sure alongside Herrera. However, Cleverley has done nothing to not fall out of favor with LVG at this pace. Also, no one can tell how Carrick's injury will affect his game considering he's missing out for that long at his age. Kagawa... too premature to tell how he will perform in central midfield on a more regular basis. Fellaini... is he even in LVG's plans?

In other words, we only have 2 central midfielders who are solid enough to start the season in the particular roles assigned to them from those positions. Otherwise, we are still short in the area.
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I am not saying it's good enough to dominate - but
1) We do have Herrera
2) Fletcher looks a completely new player
3) We have a 3-man midfield which disguises our weaknesses in that area more
4) We appear to position ourselves much better under LvG

So regardless of what happens - we will do a lot better than last season.
 
Strootman is far more unobtainable than Vidal.
 
Raees said:
Not bad shouts some of them, and what do you think about cover for Herrera.. is there anyone in the current squad who could play that creative/energetic box to box role if he was to get injured. I know we've been crying out for such a player for years and it seems greedy to now want 2... but would it be wise to buy a similar player to him who'd be happy to be on the bench, or do we have a similar player in the squad.

From the youth set up, I think Pereira is most similar to him in that aspect.
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We are still going to need another, unless some freak academy player can come straight in, we need that one CM that will bring it all home. United sign vidal some how, united will have a quartet in herrera vidal mata and janazaj you can build your entire squad around, just has barca done with xavi iniesta sergio and messi. That one signing will transform the balance of the club's midfield, carrick will be coming back, we will have a midfield with depth and a midfield that could do a bit of everything. They can pass and move, create, and dominate games. It will also be a midfield that could go to city, chelsea, arsenal, city, and not only compete, but beat them. I would find it a hard time who could dominate a midfield of herrera vidal and mata, adding the fact rooney will also be helping out. So the midfield is one CM signing away from becoming a great midfield, its just getting that deal done

United also can rotate, give herrera a rest, or give vidal a rest in some games, carrick will be there, play carrick and vidal, vidal and herrera, herrera and carrick, so many options of resting one playing another. We could rest both of herrera and carrick, because we would have the depth to bring in cleverly and play him alongside vidal. That one signing could make us great again in that engine room, that deal hopefully will be done, but like always with MUFC its a long shot
 
Just offer whatever it takes for Javi Martinez. He'll be the perfect foil for Ander and give us just the right amount of balance and composure in midfield. In saying that I do realize the possibility of it happening is less than 1%...

Have a feeling we'll get Strootman though as many have pointed out. But he wouldn't be a Top 3 choice for me...
 
Invictus said:
Just offer whatever it takes for Javi Martinez. He'll be the perfect foil for Ander and give us just the right amount of balance and composure in midfield. In saying that I do realize the possibility of it happening is less than 1%...

Have a feeling we'll get Strootman though as many have pointed out. But he wouldn't be a Top 3 choice for me...
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With him injured until january, he may not be fit until feb, and that is if he settles into the PL. Lack of match and pre season fitness,and he may still pick up injurys it is a risk not worth taking. united need someone now, there are better players out there than strootman. Adding the fact also roma will want allot of money for him, with that knee injury we could have another owen hargreaves on our hands, for much more money than 17 million
 
NMF said:
Not always, I also think people overrate Van Gaal's pulling power with Dutch players.
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Good then that it's not just Van Gaal's pulling power that would be at play here. A former manager at the NT who rates him highly, a bigger club with a considerably higher wage on offer and a better league. Having Van Gaal here makes it a whole lot easier....
 
Lane said:
Witsel is several grades below United, he would cost much, probably more than Khedira, and is simply is not good enough. He is not exactly stand out in russian league, so hard to see him playing at top level in Prem.
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'Several grades below'? Nonsense. He's a very technically capable #6 who is also strong defensively. More than capable playing beside Herrera.
 
amolbhatia100 said:
We've got plenty of solid but not exceptional midfielders over the years though.
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That's true but this LVG system doesn't seem to depend on very good CMs, just hard working ones. I think it's more about countering, skillful strikers and being really hard to break down. That said, the centre midfield do seem to have good license to bomb on when we break, and we saw that with holland too, so it would be a bonus. I do think that that possession seems to by pass the midfield or pass through it quite quickly in this system, and the players LVG tossed in there in the WC over other players indicates that he's not too interested in a playmaker right in midfield, but someone that can just get the ball to mata or rooney (sneider or robben for holland) quite quick, and support if necessary
 
Crashoutcassius said:
That's true but this LVG system doesn't seem to depend on very good CMs, just hard working ones. I think it's more about countering, skillful strikers and being really hard to break down. That said, the centre midfield do seem to have good license to bomb on when we break, and we saw that with holland too, so it would be a bonus. I do think that that possession seems to by pass the midfield or pass through it quite quickly in this system, and the players LVG tossed in there in the WC over other players indicates that he's not too interested in a playmaker right in midfield, but someone that can just get the ball to mata or rooney (sneider or robben for holland) quite quick, and support if necessary
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It would be nice to have one more that would bring it all home, it would add depth to our squad and we could rotate the midfield a bit. I still would not want to go into the new season with the current lot, when at the end of the day beyond carrick and herrera it is some pretty dire options. Like I say, van gaal could build his entire squad around herrera hopefully vidal mata and janazaj. That is still the problem with the club, thinking we can get away with a weak midfield which is the reason why we lost those big games, getting overrun. It is not the fact we are lacking quality in the engine room, we have lost carrick to injury, which is a huge loss, which should see the club pull out all the stops to sign that midfielder to make up for the loss of carrick
 
I think LVG wants somebody with a bite, but also a creative skill and a drive to go forward. In that respect i don't think we will go for Gustavo, De Jong and the so on. So i think Khedira is a definite and realistic option.

But i was very happy when we were linked, well shortly though, with german Geis (Mainz). He is very young of course, but that should not exactly stop LVG. I see him as a very decent option for eventual Carrick's spot. He has the passing range, he is well equipped with defensive skills, of course his game reading is very raw, but that is because he is 20, he will improve. All-in-all in terms of type of the player we need, skill set etc he fits very well. And he will probably cost very little, maybe 8-9M and his salary hardly be above 40-50K, so he is well worth a punt. I have not seen him that much, but he impressed me at most occasions i have seen him, even though he ended on the losing side more.

I also think that if we are going for this type of CM-enforcer we should look in Bundesliga more, not only of course, but i believe Bundesliga should a main scouting area for us, to cover this type of player exactly.
 
Khedira, Bender, Strootman, Schneiderlin, McCarthy, De Jong, Carvalho, Pogba, Martinez, Gustavo, Sandro, Marchisio & Schweinsteiger.

Strootman from january because of injuries.
Pogba, Marchisio and Schweinsteiger might be impossible.
Martinez might fancy a move if he isn't going to be used (if not, then he's impossible as well).
Gustavo & Carvalho has a release clauses.
Khedira should be on the market, and it's only about the money if we'd be in for him.
Don't know too much about Benders current status, but we had close Leverkusen followers saying half a year ago that there was no way he'd leave during the winter window.
De Jong shouldn't be too expensive as a stepping stone.
McCarthy/Everton might not be interested in a transfer this year.
Schneiderlin isn't on the market, but not because he doesn't want it so he could force a move.
Sandro just doesn't seem to me like Hotspurs first choice midfielder.
 
MrEriksen said:
Khedira, Bender, Strootman, Schneiderlin, McCarthy, De Jong, Carvalho, Pogba, Martinez, Gustavo, Sandro, Marchisio & Schweinsteiger.

Strootman from january because of injuries.
Pogba, Marchisio and Schweinsteiger might be impossible.
Martinez might fancy a move if he isn't going to be used (if not, then he's impossible as well).
Gustavo & Carvalho has a release clauses.
Khedira should be on the market, and it's only about the money if we'd be in for him.
Don't know too much about Benders current status, but we had close Leverkusen followers saying half a year ago that there was no way he'd leave during the winter window.
De Jong shouldn't be too expensive as a stepping stone.
McCarthy/Everton might not be interested in a transfer this year.
Schneiderlin isn't on the market, but not because he doesn't want it so he could force a move.
Sandro just doesn't seem to me like Hotspurs first choice midfielder.
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I definitely don't think Marchisio would be impossible. If anything, I think Juve wouldn't mind selling him too much. From browsing through the Juve forums and talking to a mate of mine who's a Juve fan they all would rather see him go than Vidal or Pogba and seen some put give us 30m and he's yours. The problem with Marchisio is though that I don't think he's the type of midfielder we are looking for. He played as the most advanced midfielder for Juve and Italy every time I have seen him.
 
DWelbz19 said:
'Several grades below'? Nonsense. He's a very technically capable #6 who is also strong defensively. More than capable playing beside Herrera.
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Witsel is nowhere near Khedira's level for example and being 25 it's hard to see him progressing beyond the player that can do well in clubs like.. i don't know a "near the top" club, hat mostly in CL, but then not real top club. Like a Galatasaray, or Schalke. I don't think we will see him in a top club, he will probably go to Turkey or something.
And while being technically capable, that is true, he is rather slow and does not impose himself much. I mean in terms of getting the ball back he is fairly average.

But the main thing is that he has been in Zenit long enough and he does not really impresses there, that is much weaker league and much weaker team. So i would only consider a player from Russian league if he is head and shoulders above everyone there. Like Vidic was, who after just half a season became like best defender in the league. Witsel already played like a season and a half for Zenit and he is on the "well, he is okay" level that is several or more likely couple grades below United quality.
 
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Essentially Marchisio is a "master of none", except for his stamina maybe. He is not really good in defense, not a real threat going forward, not a big pass master, does not have a great range. But then again he is okay, just above average in everything he does.

Sort of Cleverley upgrade really. But he will command a hefty fee, so i think basically it's better to reserve +25M offers for special players.
 
Raees said:
Not bad shouts some of them, and what do you think about cover for Herrera.. is there anyone in the current squad who could play that creative/energetic box to box role if he was to get injured. I know we've been crying out for such a player for years and it seems greedy to now want 2... but would it be wise to buy a similar player to him who'd be happy to be on the bench, or do we have a similar player in the squad.

From the youth set up, I think Pereira is most similar to him in that aspect.
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I agree a bit. I'd say Pearson - Pereira doesnt look a great tackler at all and can sometimes become uninvolved off the ball from what I've seen, but he is chock full of attacking talent.. I think Pereira might become Herrera's understudy if all goes well.

On the other hand Pearson is pretty box-to-box, can pass and is a terrier... I'd see him dovetailing well with Herrera once he "graduates" and play the role Fletch has been if he keeps progressing.
 
Crashoutcassius said:
That's true but this LVG system doesn't seem to depend on very good CMs, just hard working ones. I think it's more about countering, skillful strikers and being really hard to break down. That said, the centre midfield do seem to have good license to bomb on when we break, and we saw that with holland too, so it would be a bonus. I do think that that possession seems to by pass the midfield or pass through it quite quickly in this system, and the players LVG tossed in there in the WC over other players indicates that he's not too interested in a playmaker right in midfield, but someone that can just get the ball to mata or rooney (sneider or robben for holland) quite quick, and support if necessary
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Didn't he say that his preferred system is the 433, and that this is something he's utilises when he doesn't have the ideal players for the 433? Well you'd hope he's aiming to move towards his preferred system at some post with us.
 
Devil may care said:
As far as someone to play in Herrera's role, I wonder if Lingard could be a shout there of the more developed youth players.
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It'll be either Januzaj or Kagawa. Probably Januzaj because he's still young enough to mould into the role. I'm sure Adnan once mentioned he could play as a #8 and he's certainly more physical than most. I can't see him getting many games as Mata's understudy otherwise.

Pereira's miles off, imo. He still plays in 2nd gear because he knows he has the technique to get away with it at u21 level. I've yet to see a performance from him that makes me think he's ready to do it in the PL.
 
What the situation with Coentrao? Thought he would be someone top of our list given the system we are playing and his versatility.
 
I hope we get Strootman to be honest, maybe even more than I hope we get Vidal(maybe). He just make or midfield more balanced on paper for me, and he's younger too.
 
What about Arranguiz (sp?). Looked like another Vidal in the world cup and could be prised away from Brazil rather easily I'd imagine.
 
Lane said:
Witsel is nowhere near Khedira's level for example and being 25 it's hard to see him progressing beyond the player that can do well in clubs like..
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Witsel is a better player than Khedira. Any and all shortcomings he has in comparison are purely athletic.
 
How good of a season did Strootman have last year? Because I vividly remember United were heavily linked to him last year for about £30m and the general reaction was that we'd be paying for some unknown that probably isn't that good, now he's the solution that's needed and one of the best midfielders.
 
ADJUDICATOR said:
Witsel is a better player than Khedira. Any and all shortcomings he has in comparison are purely athletic.
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Based on what? When was the last time you've seen him in a club game?

And as for his games for national team i think Khedira clearly trumps him, not even a fair contest that.
 
Seveneric said:
How good of a season did Strootman have last year? Because I vividly remember United were heavily linked to him last year for about £30m and the general reaction was that we'd be paying for some unknown that probably isn't that good, now he's the solution that's needed and one of the best midfielders.
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Very, but he did play in a bit different position, he was b2b, go-in-between guy in the midfield trio, with De Rossi covering in defense at DM and Pjanic being more of a AM-ish dribbler tasked with more creative tasks.

But still he showed great engine, stamina to cover the field, he was defending pretty deep and regularly got into scoring positions, he also combined well. With him Roma had a fair crack to win a title.
 
Juan't Mata said:
What about Arranguiz (sp?). Looked like another Vidal in the world cup and could be prised away from Brazil rather easily I'd imagine.
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Good player, but after we signed Herrera, I just don't think Arranguiz is the type of player we need. You could argue he played more defensively than Vidal for Chile, but he's too similar to Herrera and completely unproven in Europe.

Luis Gustavo or Ander Iturraspe would be brilliant, both better than Strootman from what I've seen. Obviously, high quality won't be cheap.
 
Allan would have been another option, but he was bought by Udinese recently. He has been there on loan the seasons before. Allan might be the most similar player to Vidal from the few bits I've seen from him, could be wrong though. He isn't as good offensively, but defensively he seems to be a beast.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...yer-the-epl-big-guns-should-target-in-janaury

L. Bender, Mario Suarez, Gonalons, Schneiderlin, Kramer, Geis, Saul Niguez, Pjanic, Strootman, Illarramendi, Iturraspe, Fernando (Donetsk)

Kramer, Geis and Saul Niguez are probably not good enough as it is, but I wouldn't mind to have Geis or Saul Niguez as back-up. Schneiderlin would be my choice from that lot. IMO we should buy one of those even if we get Vidal. If we don't get Vidal, then two.

Edit: six alternatives for Manchester United

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features...o-six-alternatives-manchester-united-consider
 
Raees said:
Who is out there once this supposed deal inevitably collapses. Which midfielder can produce a similar performance to what we just saw from Fletch, but week in week out and can dovetail perfectly with Herrera and Mata. Also whilst we have cover for Mata in the form of Januzaj/Kagawa... is there any cover for Herrera?

From what I've seen of Strootman, I can see why LVG might be prepared to just wait.. as he seems perfect for that role of being defensive but talented enough on the ball to allow us to play fluid football. There remains question marks on his fitness, without which I'm pretty sure he'd have been our other midfield signing.

Any other options?
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Vidal or no Vidal, I can't see any plausible scenario (other than injury) where LvG doesn't buy Strootman.
 
Pexbo said:
Strootman is far more unobtainable than Vidal.
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This is a great shout. They would both cost us around the 40m mark Vidal is the more complete player in basically every aspect, and roma seems keen to hold on for as long as they can with strootman. Have they been invested in by a yank company? they seem more financially stable than the rest of Serie A.
 
Oo0AahCantona said:
This is a great shout. They would both cost us around the 40m mark Vidal is the more complete player in basically every aspect, and roma seems keen to hold on for as long as they can with strootman. Have they been invested in by a yank company? they seem more financially stable than the rest of Serie A.
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Won't matter imo. LvG and Strootman have an established relationship and Man United have the pulling power to get him. If we were discussing Strootman to Wolfsburg or Malaga, then yes there would be a valid point that Roma would keep him.
 
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