Which midfielder will we sign this summer?

So according to Kagawa, the players knew LVG was going to be appointed. Kagawa was picked in midfield for the last games. Could it be that LVG briefed Giggs to do so? Box-2-boxer and a no10 is his CM style. He's also more allrounded than Mata.

Assuming this is true, Giggs was never in running for full time. Or he shares the same philosophy as LVG so they are compatible.
 
Forgot to add:
Strootman----Kagawa
------------Mata----------
Januzaj---RVP---Rooney

Total football domination.
 
Sb_16 said:
So according to Kagawa, the players knew LVG was going to be appointed. Kagawa was picked in midfield for the last games. Could it be that LVG briefed Giggs to do so? Box-2-boxer and a no10 is his CM style. He's also more allrounded than Mata.

Assuming this is true, Giggs was never in running for full time. Or he shares the same philosophy as LVG so they are compatible.
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Kagawa was poor when he played at CM, does not have the physical strength to play there imo so I hope that is not the option LvG is considering.
 
Seeing as it looks like our top choices may not happen how would people feel about say McCarthy and Schneiderlin. Both played great football in passing teams this season, both are young and ready to play for bigger clubs. I think we could do a lot worse.
 
Providing Fabregas and Kroos are unattainable ... I say we go for Khedira, Rakitic and test the water for Moutinho.

I don't know why some people don't rate Khedira - great engine, good technical ability, box-to-box, can tackle well.

Rakitic - brilliant every time (admittedly, not that many times) I have seen him.

Moutinho - exactly the midfielder we need, to be honest. Still relatively young. Would be an easy snag from Monaco whom I predict to be the next Malaga.

Khedira

Moutinho - Rakitic

Januzaj - Mata

RVP
​
Also, those three wouldn't cost too much, allowing us to buy Shaw and a proficient CB.
 
Hamadovich86 said:
Kagawa was poor when he played at CM, does not have the physical strength to play there imo so I hope that is not the option LvG is considering.
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1 game a week (mostly) next season. This gives adequate time for the squad to adapt to LVG's ideas.

Though Kagawa starts in midfield, he's not fixed to the position. Its total football. Then there's Strootman to cover grounds and also Rooney to come narrow.

I want 2 class CM brought in. It looks like Strootman will be one, the identity of the no10 remains uncertain. So for now, Kagawa is an option.
 
Sb_16 said:
So according to Kagawa, the players knew LVG was going to be appointed. Kagawa was picked in midfield for the last games. Could it be that LVG briefed Giggs to do so? Box-2-boxer and a no10 is his CM style. He's also more allrounded than Mata.

Assuming this is true, Giggs was never in running for full time. Or he shares the same philosophy as LVG so they are compatible.
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I think you're reading far too much into it. The whole world knew LVG was the next manager, it just took an age to be announced.
 
Pexbo said:
The whole world knew LVG was the next manager, it just took an age to be announced.
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And its not far fetched that LVG may have wanted to see Kagawa perform as a CM. Although he wasn't very good on both occasions, he would be an option in Van Gaal's mind. Mind you this is a man who says his team performed well after a 3-0 loss because the players stuck to his instructions.
 
Sb_16 said:
And its not far fetched that LVG may have wanted to see Kagawa perform as a CM. Although he wasn't very good on both occasions, he would be an option in Van Gaal's mind. Mind you this is a man who says his team performed well after a 3-0 loss because the players stuck to his instructions.
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The whole world knew he was taking over but it never came out that any players knew for sure. If the squad had been told we'd have known that they had with a "LVG confirmed to players" sort if headline.
 
NoArroJusBeta said:
As if Vidal would ever want to play for us...

He is loving his time at Juventus, dominating Italian football, winning silverware and playing CL every season. He is adored by the fans, he has Juventus tatooed on his arm and said sometime ago he absolutley loved the club and wouldn't want to play anywhere else. Even if he did want to make a step up or have a change of scenery, one word from his agent in the media about his availability and he'll have every topclub begging him to sign for them, Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, City, he could go anywhere he wants and all those clubs would happily pay a ridicoulous transferprice for him and offer him a mind boggling salary.

Why on gods green earth would he come to a fecked up club like us ? No stability anymore, no good football, no guarantees on winning silverware anymore, not even CL football...If I were a worldclass footballer I wouldn't come to United unless it was the only available topclub left that would want me and could afford my salary demands.

I think we should simply forget about players like Vidal, kroos, Reus, Fabregas etc, they are simply out of our league for the moment. We have to focus on rebuilding step by step and showing the world we are not a club that only has a massive fanbase and big warchest to offer. We used to have Fergie and the knowledge we were the dominant team in the PL and a guaranteed CL team, we have none of those anymore. We have LVG and a major rebuilding job on our hands, I think we'll have to get through that job with the players we have and targets that are in our league, start playing sexy football again, start forming a real team again, get results, get CL football, win a price and then come out with the big transfer budget and big talk about signing worldclass players from other top teams, because right now, we can say all these things, but nobody wants to come unless we are their only alternative (RVP was a totally different United, Mata we were his only realistic exit before the WC).
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Bitter pill to swallow but your probably right. I can see us signing players in a couple of years that the club hopes will be great but paying decent money for them. Shaw is the obvious example, I'm not convinced by some of the players named being answer anyway, and we are at times being used as leverage by agents to increase players contracts.
 
Pexbo said:
The whole world knew he was taking over but it never came out that any players knew for sure. If the squad had been told we'd have known that they had with a "LVG confirmed to players" sort if headline.
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http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manchester-united-players-knew-louis-3593257
Kagawa states, "We've known for some time it was going to be him". Though he does not say since when, the LVG rumours started early on after Moyes' sacking.

The players may not have know at the time but Giggs maybe could have. Why would he pick Kagawa in midfield for the second time when a) he was poor the first time, b) other CMs were available?
 
Is it the time we mention Rooney possible conversion into midfielder under LVG? Because I still think he would do a job there (unlike Kagawa).
 
invictus said:
Kovacic for 20m + Martinez for 40m-ish would be a dream come true. Great blend of youth, experience, creativity and defensive solidity. :drool:
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Inter had turned down a number of offers for Kovacic, and stated many times that he's not for sale. I'm aware that this won't prevent any Caf member from still believeing he'll join you but just sayin. ;)
 
ManniKaltz said:
Inter had turned down a number of offers for Kovacic, and stated many times that he's not for sale. I'm aware that this won't prevent any Caf member from still believeing he'll join you but just sayin. ;)
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You're Jamie Jackson aren't you ? :(:(
 
For Dutch fans whats the story with the kid at Ajax - Clasie - is he good enough?

Managers invariably bring in players they have worked with or players from a league they know well

I could see Van Gaal bringing a couple of Dutch players in
 
invictus said:
You're Jamie Jackson aren't you ? :(:(
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Not really. :D

I'm just a Dortmund fan addicted to any news re: my BVB, and as we've been interested in Kovacic too, I followed di Marzio's tweets re: him; when it comes to Italian players or players from Serie A, di Marzio is usually well informed.
 
buckooo1978 said:
For Dutch fans whats the story with the kid at Ajax - Clasie - is he good enough?

Managers invariably bring in players they have worked with or players from a league they know well

I could see Van Gaal bringing a couple of Dutch players in
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He isn't playing for Ajax, Feyenoord is his club. He's alright, nothing to get excited about, but van Gaal is capable of making him an improvement for us. Who knows. We probably need to look for midfielders who improve us step by step anyway, instead of going for the very best, they can follow afterwards.
 
It seems we will really struggle to get any top players and will probably settle for our usual tiers 2 and 3 talent.

This is nothing unusual for us except that this season we have been pushing the idea that we have a bumper special "war chest" which is basically just a handful of other clubs standard animal transfer budget.
 
I'm not to bothered if we fail to land big names like Kroos, Fabregas etc... Liverpool have shown last season that the system and tactics are a lot more important than the individual quality of the players implementing them. a midfield of Gerrard, Henderson and Allen hardly sets the world alight but that didn't stop them dominating teams and challenging for the title until the very end, yes, Suarez played a big part in it but it was mostly down to Rodgers attacking philosophy that carried them through.

Now, when it comes down to tactics and attacking philosophy's van Gaal is up there with the best of them, so as long as we sign quality players Known or not that van Gaal believes will fit well into his system then I certainly won't be complaining.
 
Hamadovich86 said:
Kagawa was poor when he played at CM, does not have the physical strength to play there imo so I hope that is not the option LvG is considering.
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Yep, its a silly notion playing Kagawa at CM. You're basically playing him in a position that he's poor in just to select him. We played him in there because nobody else was really available and Giggs knew the fans really rate him.
 
Our midfield currently lack of energy. At least a midfield which we are going to sign should have one of this aspect.
 
a_devil_inside said:
I'm guessing they just heard the rumours and maybe a few more of them inside the club, Probably found out for definite when everyone else did
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Let me rephrase my initial comment. The LVG rumours started early on after the sacking. There were rumours even at the latter days of Moyes reign. So its not far fetched to say that Van Gaal was our primary managerial target. And talk with him were ongoing during the last 4 games where Giggs was in charge.

If players (Kagawa) knew from some time (date unknown) about the appointment, then it is for certain Giggs knew too.

My point was that Van Gaal may have suggested Giggs his midfield preference and asked to start Kagawa as CM. Thus, my contribution to the thread tittled "Which midfielder will we sign this summer?", Kagawa could be an option there (if we fail to bring in any notable addition along with Strootman) in a dynamic system comprising
Strootman--Kagawa
----------Mata--------
Januzaj--RVP--Rooney
 
It seems more and more likely by the day that we won't sign any big names at all for central midfield which will probably result in van gaal going for unheard of up and coming talents from teams in holland, portugal, france, germany....he may go for someone like alex song to add more competition as he is the only kind of signing that might be available to us...I still have a sneaky feeling that he may try to convert rooney to central midfield too
 
I personally think we need a dynamic box to box player, first and foremost. Someone who can score, assist and defend - an allrounder.

We've got creative players (Rooney, Kagawa, Mata), and while they might be getting on or might not be people's favourites, we've also got players who can sit in front of the back four in Carrick, Fellaini and Fletcher and do a good enough job, which is why I feel our priority should be a top class box to box midfielder.

The problem is, there's not really a lot of allrounded players out there who can do everything. Vidal would be my ideal choice but I doubt he's available. Strootman Maybe?

I wouldn't mind seeing:

De Gea
Rafael - Smalling - Evans - Shaw
Strootman - Carrick
Januzaj - Rooney - Griezmann
Van Persie
​


Sb_16 said:
So according to Kagawa, the players knew LVG was going to be appointed. Kagawa was picked in midfield for the last games. Could it be that LVG briefed Giggs to do so? Box-2-boxer and a no10 is his CM style. He's also more allrounded than Mata.

Assuming this is true, Giggs was never in running for full time. Or he shares the same philosophy as LVG so they are compatible.
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Didn't work out too well, though, although we'd probably need more of a dynamic player sitting in front of the back four, in comparison to Fletcher, who played the holding role with Mata and Kagawa in midfield against Southampton. We looked a lot better when we went with 2 holding players; a box to box (Fletcher) and holding player (Carrick) and an out an out no.10 (Mata).
 
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I think we can forget about Kroos, Schweinsteiger, Reus, Fabregas and Vidal. Only one I could possibly see us getting is Fabregas but he loves Barcelona and Enrique may rate him very highly, also if he were to move, he would most likely want CL football and he will go back to Arsenal.

I can't see Kroos & Schweinsteiger leaving Bayern and definitely not for us. Reus has ruled out a move and is not a CM and Vidal has recently signed a new contract and there is no chance of him leaving.

Can't see us going back in for Herrera. Athletic don't sell their players so the release clause has to be met or player runs down his contract like Llorente. I believe his release clause is in the region of £34m or that might be Euro's, if it's £34m then I can't see us giving them that fee. We tried last summer and backed out.

The Carvalho rumour has died down since LVG was announced or expected to be announced but no-one really knows what is going on. Again, the fee is questionable, I read they wanted something like £35m for him which would be ridiculous to spend on a player who is only proven in the Portuguese League. There's no denying his ability and potential, he could definitely slot into our midfield and make a difference but he's no world beater or certainly not yet anyway. Also I've read reports that he wants to stay at Sporting for one more season. If we don't get him before the WC, then I can't see us getting him at all.

Rakitic should be the option we pursue. A top class midfielder, abit of a late bloomer but there's no doubting his class. Had a fantastic season for Seville who are in financial trouble and I can't see Madrid/Barca challenging us for his signature so it should be straightforward if we can agree a fee. Anything from £17m-25m should be good enough, he can play in a 4-4-2, can pick a pass and score goals. Kovacic as well, he's not happy at Inter and they would most likely sell him like they did with Coutinho. Doubtful whether he could fit into a 4-4-2 but if we play 3 in midfield then it could definitely work. He's a great dribbler and can penetrate right through the middle, good eye for a pass and surprisingly strong.

Strootman wouldn't even be able to pass a medical at present. It's a long term muscle injury and it wouldn't make sense to buy someone who we could of got for £15m last summer who will now be out till October. He's impressed in Rome, something that I never seen previously in all honesty, but they would demand around £25m-30m now so most likely not going to happen.

We shouldn't be chasing Claisle, his development has stagnated, much like Cleverely and while he would improve our midfield, he's not much better than our current options. To spend £15m on him to take one of our CM positions would be pointless, and not evident of the improvement we want to make going forward.

What's happened to Ganso? He was supposed to be the next big thing, up there with Neymar coming out of Brazil, a few bad injuries and he's totally been written off. Is he that bad now? Or could he be worth a gamble under LvG if he can find his previous form? Also Veratti?
 
SambaBoy said:
I think we can forget about Kroos, Schweinsteiger, Reus, Fabregas and Vidal. Only one I could possibly see us getting is Fabregas but he loves Barcelona and Enrique may rate him very highly, also if he were to move, he would most likely want CL football and he will go back to Arsenal.

I can't see Kroos & Schweinsteiger leaving Bayern and definitely not for us. Reus has ruled out a move and is not a CM and Vidal has recently signed a new contract and there is no chance of him leaving.

Can't see us going back in for Herrera. Athletic don't sell their players so the release clause has to be met or player runs down his contract like Llorente. I believe his release clause is in the region of £34m or that might be Euro's, if it's £34m then I can't see us giving them that fee. We tried last summer and backed out.

The Carvalho rumour has died down since LVG was announced or expected to be announced but no-one really knows what is going on. Again, the fee is questionable, I read they wanted something like £35m for him which would be ridiculous to spend on a player who is only proven in the Portuguese League. There's no denying his ability and potential, he could definitely slot into our midfield and make a difference but he's no world beater or certainly not yet anyway. Also I've read reports that he wants to stay at Sporting for one more season. If we don't get him before the WC, then I can't see us getting him at all.

Rakitic should be the option we pursue. A top class midfielder, abit of a late bloomer but there's no doubting his class. Had a fantastic season for Seville who are in financial trouble and I can't see Madrid/Barca challenging us for his signature so it should be straightforward if we can agree a fee. Anything from £17m-25m should be good enough, he can play in a 4-4-2, can pick a pass and score goals. Kovacic as well, he's not happy at Inter and they would most likely sell him like they did with Coutinho. Doubtful whether he could fit into a 4-4-2 but if we play 3 in midfield then it could definitely work. He's a great dribbler and can penetrate right through the middle, good eye for a pass and surprisingly strong.

Strootman wouldn't even be able to pass a medical at present. It's a long term muscle injury and it wouldn't make sense to buy someone who we could of got for £15m last summer who will now be out till October. He's impressed in Rome, something that I never seen previously in all honesty, but they would demand around £25m-30m now so most likely not going to happen.

We shouldn't be chasing Claisle, his development has stagnated, much like Cleverely and while he would improve our midfield, he's not much better than our current options. To spend £15m on him to take one of our CM positions would be pointless, and not evident of the improvement we want to make going forward.

What's happened to Ganso? He was supposed to be the next big thing, up there with Neymar coming out of Brazil, a few bad injuries and he's totally been written off. Is he that bad now? Or could he be worth a gamble under LvG if he can find his previous form? Also Veratti?
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Summary: We won't and can't sign anybody.
 
SambaBoy said:
Basically. Woodward will get desperate and sign Fabian Delph for £25m on deadline day.
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I get bored reading this every day.
So we overpaid for Fellaini...Get over it. No offence, and I know you are joking, but Moyes always had Fellaini in mind, it wasn't a snap buy just to get a player in, he was always a possibility.

I think United are more than capable of attracting top players if we want.
Who are to say these players have rejected us, just because some newspaper said it. The same newspapers a few days ago also said we was going to get Kroos for 20m.
Not every target is attainable, but we are still a big club and can still attract very good players.

I think the newspapers are really just throwing in anything they can right now.
Robben, Schweinsteiger, Mata the lot.
McCarthy got mentioned, no idea how, but even sky quickly took it down.

I just really think right now its pointless reading what the papers say, because they are trying to make something out of nothing right now
 
I know the Sweinsteiger rumours are total BS in the Sun today...obviously The Sun were racking their brains as to who might be left that hasn't turned us down yet and Sweinie came to their thoughts.....
But......if for some Bizare reason Bayern wanted fresh faces for their central midfield than Sweini would be a really awesome signing.......If Sweinie came then it would give us a huge chance to land other Germans that may be available such as Lars Bender, Hummels of Khedira
All wishful thinking though but our bad luck with signing central midfielders in the transfer window has to end at some point....but in saying all that I am expecting us to sign maybe some unhead of central midfielder from the portuguese league as all the targets we would want probably won't come
 
Ringo 07 said:
I know the Sweinsteiger rumours are total BS in the Sun today...obviously The Sun were racking their brains as to who might be left that hasn't turned us down yet and Sweinie came to their thoughts.....
But......if for some Bizare reason Bayern wanted fresh faces for their central midfield than Sweini would be a really awesome signing.......If Sweinie came then it would give us a huge chance to land other Germans that may be available such as Lars Bender, Hummels of Khedira
All wishful thinking though but our bad luck with signing central midfielders in the transfer window has to end at some point....but in saying all that I am expecting us to sign maybe some unhead of central midfielder from the portuguese league as all the targets we would want probably won't come
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Why won't they come?
 
We should go for Barkley. We cant seem to get the likes of Kroos,Fabregas etc. Lets go back to the old policy of buying players and making them into stars.
 
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