Help in the Middle for Man Utd?

First, let me apologize in the gap between transfer posts. I had intended on doing a full breakdown of targets for the Red Devils, but didn't get around to it. Now that we're a full weekend into the official transfer period, United have finalized (or finalised) deals for three key players. The deals had been mooted for quite some time, so the only things in question were when and how much.

Sir Alex Ferguson did his homework and brought in keeper David De Gea from Atletico Madrid, defender Phil Jones from Blackburn, and winger Ashley Young from Aston Villa. The running tally so far is in the neighborhood of £50M. Let's take a look at these fine young players in more detail.


David De Gea
This long, rangy shot stopper has drawn comparisons to predecessor Edwin van der Sar for quite some time. That's impressive considering he is only 20 years of age. A combination of Sergio Asenjo's international duty and Roberto's injuries paved the way for his first team callup at Atletico at the ripe age of 18. Other names like Martin Stekelenburg, Manuel Neuer, Julio Cesar, and Gigi Buffon had been thrown out, but De Gea was always thought of as the first choice replacement for VDS. I'm looking forward to see him form partnerships with Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Chris Smalling, and this next player ...


Phil Jones
Having impressed during his first full season as a regular in the Rovers starting XI, Jones attracted the interest of several of England's top clubs. However, it soon became clear that United were his preferred club, and he took a medical in Manchester prior to the two clubs even agreeing a fee. He recently played with fellow Reds Chris Smalling, Tom Cleverley, and Danny Welbeck at the U21 Euro Championships. While the England squad failed to progress far, Jones and Smalling put forth an impressive display in the central defense - signalling a very bright future for United's back line. He's pegged as a potential captain for both his country and club, and I expect we will see big things out of him. He's also versatile enough to play as a fullback or a holding midfielder.


Ashley Young
Young is no stranger to English football fans, having six campaigns under his belt with Watford and Aston Villa. He turns 26 this week and has secured 15 caps for his native England. Many thought that his arrival would signal the departure of Luis Nani, but those rumours were quickly rubbished. While we do have several wide options now, keep in mind that Gabriel Obertan and Bebe both made bollocks out of their time at Old Trafford and Ryan Giggs has slowed down in what is surely to be the last season of a glorious career - all in Red.

Even though David Gill has spent £50M thus far in the transfer period, we are clearly not done yet. The biggest hole in our squad is in central midfield. Oft injured Owen Hargreaves was not offered a new contract, Paul Scholes retired, Darren Gibson has failed to impress (more on him later), and Michael Carrick, while often very impressive, has been inconsistent.

With that in mind, SAF has his sights set on a midfielder of the Scholes mold. Several names have been thrown out, but the most prominent and legit are Wesley Sneijder of Internazionale, Luka Modric of Spurs, Samir Nasri of Arsenal, Lassa Diarra of Real Madrid, Javier Pastore of Palermo, Daniele de Rossi of Roma, Jack Rodwell of Everton, Steven Defour of Standard Liege, and Yann M'Vila of Rennes.

• Wesley Sneijder, 27 - Sneijder is my preferred target of the bunch, as I have admired his play for several years now. In fact, when we sold Cristiano to RMA I was lobbying to have him included as part of the transfer. Instead, United did not inquire and he was allowed to leave for Inter. He is somewhat on the older side, but I think he has several productive years ahead of him. The price seems to keep rising amid interest from several of the world's top clubs - from £30M to the present £40M - but I think that would be well worth it.
  
• Luka Modric, 25 - Harry Redknapp has continually expressed that he is unwilling to sell the Croatian, but I think we all know he will let him go at the right price. That right price, according to rumour, is upwards of £50M. At that price, I don't think this even merits further discussion.
  
• Samir Nasri, 24 - Press coverage of his potential move to Manchester - either with City or United - has been wide. The price the keeps being mentioned is £20M, which seems a little low to me for such a skilled player. In the end I think Nasri leaves Arsenal, but the Premier League as well. With Carlos Tevez's public desire to leave City, I think that is an increasingly less attractive option for a player looking to win silverware. With the strong history between Arsenal and United, I doubt a transaction between the two clubs will happen.
  
• Lassana Diarra, 26 - As he has played for both Chelsea and Arsenal in the past, I have somewhat of a negative predisposition to Diarra. At 26 years of age he is not that old, but his inability to lock down a starting XI position at either of the aforementioned clubs or RMA makes me wary of him. This one is losing steam as I type.
  
• Javier Pastore, 22 - He allegedly has a £50M price tag on him (or is it €?). His club says he is more valuable than Alexis Sanchez, but most don't agree with that. To this point he has relied on pure skill rather than intelligence for the game, which makes me want to avoid him especially at such a high price.
  
• Daniele de Rossi, 27 - de Rossi turns 28 this month, and while he has been a mainstay for Roma I am doubtful he possesses the longevity and skill to be a replacement for Scholes. Pass.
  
• Jack Rodwell, 20 - Highly regarded as the best England U21 player, his potential is mouth watering. However, with many other clubs interested and with memories of the Wayne Rooney transfer from the same club, I doubt this will happen. If Rodwell is allowed to leave Goodison Park, I think it will be at an astronomic price point. Not Pastore astronomic, but still large and inflated.
  
• Steven Defour, 23 - SAF has had his eye on Defour for quite some time, and it was rumoured that United had agreed a fee with Standard Liege in the late winter. Not sure what has happened, but it appears United's interest has dwindled. He could be a good value transfer, but not the superstar quality we need here.
  
• Yann M'Vila, 21 - I'll be quite honest and say that I don't know much about him. At a lower price point than most of the others, he is an intriguing possibility. He's said to be more of a holding than attacking midfielder, however.

There is one name mysteriously missing from the list, however. In addition to Sneijder, he is the midfielder I most personally hope to see at Old Trafford next season. That player is Lyon's Yoann Gourcuff, 24 years of age (soon to be 25). He is a creative playmaker who excels in all parts of the game. Despite his low goal tally, make no mistake that he is instrumental in creating a huge portion of goals for both club and country. The Gourcuff-to-United rumours were aplenty in the Spring, but have since disappeared. What gives?

So who is going to control the central midfield for United's future? My personal guess? Wesley Sneijder.