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Manchester United agree deal for La Liga superstar: have they made the right decision?

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Dani AlvesEver since Sir Alex Ferguson left Old Trafford, The Red Devils have offered diminishing returns when it comes to defensive solidarity. I suppose it didn’t help that Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra left in the summer, but it’s worth noting that all three of these individuals were approaching the autumn of the career.

Louis Van Gaal should have done more to stop the rot, but he ended up focusing on bolstering his attack instead. The Dutchman will need to even things out in the January transfer window (and next summer).

This brings me to the rather surprising news that Manchester United have already agreed a deal to sign Barcelona’s gifted right-back, Dani Alves. The Metro carry the following quotes from the player’s agent, which more or less confirm that the deal has been done. Check them out:

‘The player will leave Barcelona. He has signed a preliminary agreement with Manchester United.’

It’s thought that Dani Alves will link up with The Red Devils at the end of the season. At that stage, his Barcelona contract will have expired and he’ll be available as a free transfer. As gambles go, this is a rather inexpensive one.

When Dani Alves moved to Barcelona in the summer of 2008, he cost the Spanish powerhouse 32.5m euros. At the time he was widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in the world.

His pace, power and presence were (and still are a sight to behold). He’s always been a better attacker than he has been a defender, but his quick reactions (and quick feet) often help him to recover and win back possession. Once he’s in the final third, he can be a real pain to deal with. To call him a tricky customer would be an understatement.

Now that he’s 31-years-old his game is going to start to slow down a little bit, but he still has a lot to offer. By the time he moves to Old Trafford he’ll have accrued more than 600 professional appearances as a footballer. He’s experienced, effective and he’s ready for a new challenge.

This looks like a really smart deal for Manchester United. I’m just surprised that other Premier League clubs didn’t fight harder to steal Dani Alves away from The Red Devils.

What’s your take? Are you glad to see that Manchester United have already agreed to sign Dani Alves?

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