At this stage Manchester United fans must be awaiting the January transfer window with baited breath. Apart from upfront where the Red Devils are strong, the limitations of this squad are all too clear.
United are a blunt instrument at the moment. Their midfield is too slow, lacks dynamism and has little cutting edge. They’re struggling to break teams down at the moment.
And their back-four isn’t the same rock-steady force that it used to be. It’s aging, it’s damaged and it’s capable of making costly errors.
Rio Ferdinand is now 35-years-old. In footballing terms, that means it’s about time to break out the walking stick and open up a bag of Werther’s Originals. His reactions don’t seem to be as sharp, his distribution isn’t as effective and his overall game seems to have suffered. How much longer will David Moyes be able to rely on Rio. A year? Two years?
Then there’s Nemanja Vidic. He’s 32-years-old and has spent the last two years dealing with major injury lay-offs. This year he’s slowly starting to get back to his best, but he’s another one who seems to have lost some of his dynamism.
Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans are both good centre-backs, but I don’t think either are ready to lead the back-line.
Action in the transfer market may be the next logical step. But who should David Moyes consider bringing in? How about French wonder-kid Eliaquim Mangala?
The Mirror claim that the ‘formidable Frenchman’ is on the top of David Moyes’ ‘Christmas wish-list’. Ooo, I hope so.
He’s currently playing for FC Porto, where he’s demonstrated his aerial dominance, speed along the ground, tough-tackling and great positional sense. The only knock against his name is the fact that he’s currently cup tied in the Champions League.
But hopefully this wont put David Moyes off.
As young defensive talent goes, Mangala is right up there with Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane. In fact, I’d argue that the Frenchman is even tougher. It’s like he’s been custom built for the Premier League.
Naturally he won’t come cheap, but if Manchester United want quality, they’ll have to splash the cash. Let’s just hope they’ve got enough in the bank to sign both Mangala and a creative midfielder.
What’s your take? Should Manchester United be monitoring Eliaquim Mangala? Would he be a good addition to the squad?
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