Prior to this afternoon’s fixture to Aston Villa, Manchester United fans in the Football Transfer Tavern seem to have transformed into something resembling their old selves in the past few weeks, having witnessed their side pick up six consecutive Premier League victories.
Last weekend’s 3-0 victory over bitter rivals Liverpool has even seen the likes of Jose Mourinho refusing to rule the Red Devils out of a title challenge – and why not?
Louis van Gaal will acknowledge privately if not publicly, that any side who spends past the £200 million mark in 12 months should be challenging for the top honours and whilst there is some way still to go, things are starting to look as if they are heading in the right direction.
And the exciting thing for United supporters is that van Gaal looks set to spend even further this winter, with ‘money no object’ according to reports.
That has seen a host of world class players linked with a winter move to Old Trafford, but not all of these players would be suitable to help the United revival move forward.
Here we have gone through the rumours and identified five transfers Louis van Gaal should look to avoid when the January transfer window opens.
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Click on Louis van Gaal to reveal 5 January transfers Manchester United should look to AVOID at all costs.
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Nemanja Vidic
Nemanja Vidic was a wonderful servant to Manchester United but the idea of bringing him back just six months after he left to join Inter Milan seems a bit odd.
United have had opportunities to sign a top class centre back with all the money available to them and signing former players doesn’t usually end well.
Vidic is now 33-years-of-age and a move to bring him back to Old Trafford would be admitting the club made a mistake in not keeping him in the first place, whilst also admitting they were unable to attract a younger and better talent to fill the void.
Xherdan Shaqiri
The Swiss international has grown frustrated at the lack of first team opportunities at Bayern Munich and is looking for a move this January.
But given the host of attacking talent available to Louis van Gaal, Shaqiri would surely find himself with the same problem were he to move to Old Trafford as some reports have suggested.
Juan Mata, Angel Di Maria, Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao are all competing for those attacking positions, so Shaqiri would surely be seen as nothing more than an expensive squad player.
Add to that his expensive wages, and this does not look such an appealing deal for United.
Daniel Alves
Manchester United are on the hunt for a new right back according to reports, and are keen to bring in Barcelona star Daniel Alves.
The Brazilian is on the lookout for a new club this winter but his wage demands and the fact he is now 31 and seemingly past his best don’t make him sound as an attractive signing as he would have done a couple of years ago.
The fact Alves could not get into the Brazil team ahead of Maicon at the summer’s World Cup suggests his best days are behind him, whilst he has also fallen out of favour at Barcelona.
For the money he is demanding, United would be better off looking elsewhere.
Ron Vlaar
The Aston Villa captain has entered the final six months of his contract at Villa Park and has been linked with a cut-price move to Old Trafford this winter.
Despite Vlaar being an outstanding performer for van Gaal and the Dutch national side during the summer’s World Cup, Vlaar’s Premier League career does not suggest he is Manchester United standard.
His signing would surely be nothing more than a quick fix and no United fan will say he is the long-term answer to their defensive difficulties.
Ivan Rakitic
The Croatian playmaker only moved to Barcelona in the summer but reports suggest that Manchester United are set to battle Manchester City for his services this January.
Rakitic has not done badly during his first six months at the Camp Nou so this comes across as something of a strange rumour.
If Barcelona were to sell, it must be down to some problems behind the scenes – not something United want to bring to their club – whilst they would also be looking for recoup the £30 million they paid Sevilla for his services.
Given United have Ander Herrera and Juan Mata already on the books who represent players in a similar mould to Rakitic, this seems a strange deal that would be better staying clear of – for now at least.
