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Manchester United and Hatem Ben Arfa

Many new football formations have come and gone in the last two decades, but Manchester United have always prided themselves on playing with width. It’s a stylistic cornerstone of the Alex Ferguson era and it’s been marvellous to watch. But, in the last year, Manchester United’s normally powerful wings have been clipped. In most areas United have a fantastic squad but it’s not a vintage in terms of wingers.

When a 39 year old Ryan Giggs is still trumping Young, Valencia and Nani something has to be wrong. Valencia will likely get another year but the others should be sent packing.

So this summer, Sir Alex will surely add at least one more winger to the Manchester United squad, after investing in Wilfried Zaha in January. Let’s have a look at who’s being linked.

James Rodriguez – Hold the back page! Rodriguez linked to Manchester United! It’s a massively over-reported rumour but there must be some substance to it. Not least because the Colombian looks like the real deal. His wing play is dazzlingly creative but, with 23 goals in 51 games for Porto, he is also a serial threat to the opposition goal. At 21, he looks like a superb investment.

Gareth Bale – Manchester United aren’t a club that needs 4 or 5 players to make them competitive. Many fans would much prefer Fergie to spend all of his kitty on one superstar per year. And, this year, that superstar should be Gareth Bale. The kid is starting to look like a genuine world-beater and has drawn praise from the likes of Zinedine Zidane of late. He would cost a fortune but would guarantee continued success and, at 23, would have a massive sell-on value should Manchester United wish to cash in.

Jurgen Damm – The 20 year old winger, who plays for Mexican side Estudiantes Tecos, has been on trial at Old Trafford. Check out his youtube vid and make up your own minds about him.

Hatem Ben Arfa – In between serious injuries Ben Arfa has been a revelation on Tyneside, maturing beautifully after showing great promise alongside Karim Benzema at Lyon. One initially wondered whether he was a bit of a show-pony, without too much substance, but he has been lethal in The Premier League and Europe’s elite clubs must surely now be taking notice. At 26 he is close to the finished article and would improve most sides. He hasn’t yet been linked to Manchester United, but he looks like the sort of player who could thrive at Old Trafford – and the fans would love him. We wouldn’t be at all surprised if Fergie made a bid.

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