According to many, Manchester United have some serious rebuilding work to do in the summer. The midfield has lacked dynamism and creativity for a long time and that will be an area which needs immediate attention.
David Moyes may also wish to add some real quality out wide. Certainly, if he wants to stick with 4-4-2 formation, he will need to bring in a couple more star players.
The other area which many have suggested needs improvement this summer is the defence. Nemanja Vidic has already stated that he will be leaving the club. Meanwhile, the futures of Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra are very much up in the air. If Ferdinand does leave the Manchester United may need another really dominating player for the centre back positions. Of their younger crop, Jonny Evans have matured into a solid player and Chris Smalling is also coming on. But we think that only Phil Jones has the potential to be as good as Manchester United’s brilliant stalwarts Vidic and Ferdinand.
So it is easy to imagine a huge investment in a centre back over the summer. The Telegraph has reported that Manchester United scouted a highly sought after Porto defender over the weekend.
Manchester United sent one of their leading scouts to watch transfer target Eliaquim Mangala play for Porto at Gil Vicente on Sunday.
United will face fierce competition to sign the highly rated French international centre-back, not least from Manchester City and Chelsea.
City abandoned a January transfer deadline-day £50 million move for Mangala and his Porto team-mate but are expected to renew their interest in the summer.
The Scouts could well have been there, of course, to see various players. But this guy really does look like the finished article even at 23. Manchester United will certainly not want to get into a bidding war with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City for the player’s signature.
But if the deal can be done quickly and quietly Manchester United could pull off a real coup. Mangala is regarded as one of the best players in Europe and every top club seems to want him. He made his debut for the France international side last year and one would imagine he will be nailed on for The World Cup. So snap him up early or expect his price to rocket even further.
Let’s see the lad in action.
Follow us on Twitter @soccersweep10
