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| United’s third signing all but done? Posted: 29 Jun 2014 02:45 AM PDT
With United looking to fill the gap left by the departures of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, Porto’s Eliaquim Mangala and Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels were linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer but it looks as if Louis Van Gaal has instead opted for the Feyenoord defender.
De Vrij, who won his first Holland cap under Van Gaal in August 2012, was thought to have agreed deal to join Serie A side Lazio after traveling to Rome and being shown around the club’s facilities before the World Cup began, but the move has since fallen through, allowing Van Gaal and United to enter the race for the 22-year-old. Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport reports that Lazio have given up on De Vrij after United lodged a bid of around £8m for the centre-back who is expected to become United’s third signing after the arrivals of Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw. Strong in the air and composed on the ball, De Vrij is a traditional centre-back, one who’s not afraid of tackling and of imposing himself physically on his opponent and despite being only 22 he has already been capped 14 times for Holland, playing every game at the World Cup so far and scoring his side third in Holland’s 5-1 demolition of Spain. A product of Feyenoord’s famous academy, De Vrij has made 153 appearances for the Rotterdam club since making his first team debut in the 2009-10 season and briefly captained the side during the 2012-13 season but with his contract set to expire in 12 months, Feyenoord look willing to cash out now rather than running the risk of losing the defender for free next summer. |
| Van Gaal and United keen on former City man Posted: 29 Jun 2014 02:10 AM PDT
De Jong is the latest Dutchman to be linked with a move to Old Trafford and Italian sports newspaper Corriere dello Sport last week claimed the 29-year-old had emerged a surprise target for United, while today’s Daily Express confirms United are set to open talks with AC Milan.
United desperately need to bolster their midfield option and while de Jong might not seem the obvious option as he’s neither what could be considered a marquee signing nor the creative midfielder United have been lacking for years, the former Manchester City man could prove to be a very astute signing, particularly for a fee of £10m.. For almost a decade United have lacked a midfielder capable to impose himself physically in the middle of the park, an area where United have been repeatedly bullied over the last couple of seasons, with neither Michael Carrick nor Tom Cleverley particularly suited to sitting in front of the back four with the task of shielding the back four. As the more or less protracted courting of Arturo Vidal goes to show, United have clearly identified this as an area that needs overhauling this summer and while de Jong is less technically gifted than the Chilean midfielder, he provides bags of dynamism and energy and his very disciplined from a tactical point of view. Van Gaal, deploys de Jong as defensive midfielder, either alongside more creative midfielders such Wesley Sneijder and Rafael Van der Vaart in a three-man midfield when the Holland manager opts for a 4-3-3 formation or alongside Jonathan de Guzman in a five-man midfield, as was the case during Holland’s 3-2 win against Australia, when the Oranje were set out with a 3-5-2 formation. De Jong’s reputation for being a midfield destroyer is such that his passing ability – he averaged over 90% pass completion rate in 33 Serie A games last season – is often swiftly overlooked as is his distribution, a key factor in Van Gaal’s game-plan, for the Holland manager wants even his defensive midfielders to be comfortable with the ball at their feet. Having spent three and half seasons at City, de Jong would know exactly what to expect in the Premier League, he wouldn’t need time to settle either and with Ander Herrera set to provide the creative spark United’s midfield has been missing, a brute like de Jong would complement the Spaniard to perfection. |
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