As the night closed on yet another transfer window, it’s hard to know if Manchester United should be pleased with their spending.
On the face of it they clearly should be ecstatic. Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao, who were signed from Real Madrid and Monaco respectively, are widely regarded as two of the most talented attacking talents in the world, while Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo, Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw will go a long way to solving the defensive and midfield issues that have plagued the Red Devils for several seasons now.
It should also be noted that Louis Van Gaal, the new Manchester United manager, who has been tasked with returning to club to their former glories, also did well to get rid of several players that had failed to find form at Old Trafford. Shinji Kagawa, Tom Cleverley, Danny Welbeck, Nani and Javier Hernandez have each moved on to pastures new, and this helped to leave room for Van Gaal’s additions.
But several fans have since declared that United are still severely lacking in midfield and defence, and that the club didn’t need to spend such a hefty sum on attacking players.
At the moment it is quite hard to picture how United’s squad will take shape; in fact we’re not even sure what formation the 20-time English champions will take. While most United fans have decided to focus on the exact positions that the likes of Di Maria, Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney will take, it’s more likely that these players will instead be asked to take up a number of different roles throughout the season.
Manchester United’s squad is now filled to be the brim with a bevy of players that can adjust to different areas of the park, and this will come in handy for Van Gaal as he is a manager that loves to change systems over the course of 90 minutes.
But when push comes to shove, what will be Manchester United’s starting line-up for this coming season. Well it depends on the formation.
If it’s a 3-5-2 formation:
Goalkeeper – David De Gea,
Centre-backs – Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones, Daley Blind,
Left wing back – Luke Shaw,
Right wing back – Antonio Valencia,
Centre midfielders – Angel Di Maria, Ander Herrera,
Attacking Midfielder – Wayne Rooney
Forwards – Robin Van Persie, Radamel Falcao
If it’s 4-3-3:
Goalkeeper – David De Gea
Right Back – Rafael
Left Back – Luke Shaw
Centre Backs – Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones
Midfielders – Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera, Angel Di Maria
Forwards – Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie, Radamel Falcao
Either way, it promises to be a hugely interesting season at Old Trafford, and the fact that Van Gaal has now spent $250 million on new players means that if he’s not successful, quickly, then he could find himself sacked come May.
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