In Capital One Cup action against Middlesbrough in just one hours’ time, our Manchester United supporters in the Football Transfer Tavern are fighting over the barstools with the best views of our plasma screen.
Fully expected to grab a victory this evening, what must be said is that the Capital One Cup has thrown up some shocks with Coventry City having nabbed a famous victory at Old Trafford a few years back.
With Sheffield Wednesday taking Arsenal by surprise, cruising to a deserved 3-0 victory last night, Louis van Gaal’s side will be taking nothing for granted knowing that this a real chance at silverware this season with the likes of Tottenham and Chelsea eliminated too.
Back in the Premier League, United are still placed well at the moment having played out a tense Manchester Derby with cross-town rivals City at the weekend.
Locked in fourth place right now and only two points behind league leaders City, United fans will be hoping their side can tough it out while remaining within touching distance of first place come January.
If Louis van Gaal can further strengthen his side by the time the transfer window rolls around again, United could be in a great position to surprise a few in winning the Premier League this year.
One position where the Red Devils cant afford an injury is up front and it is no surprise to see that Juventus’ Paulo Dybala has been linked with a United move of late.
With Metro reporting that Dybala could be part of a striking revamp with Wayne Rooney flattering to deceive, we’ve taken this moment to devise a list of five other players who could end up following the Argentine to Old Trafford.
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Click on the image below to reveal the five players who could follow Paulo Dybala to Manchester United in January.
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Felipe Anderson
According to reports from The Express yesterday, United are attempting to revive a swoop for Lazio’s Brazilian international winger Felipe Anderson having seen a £28 million bid rejected last summer.
With the player having since signed a new contract with the Rome giants that will take him through until 2020, the Red Devils would have to pay top dollar to now prise him away from the Stadio Olimpico but United aren’t being swayed by this at present.
With the player boasting a £56 million release clause, we think this fee is even too much for United to consider given the winger has only just burst onto the scene in the last season or so but there’s no doubting he’s a quality player.
What’s more, with United missing out on the signing of Pedro to replace Angel Di Maria in the summer, there is space in the Red Devils’ squad for an additional winger like Anderson although the development of the likes of Jesse Lingard would suffer if he was brought in.
United fans would just hope Felipe Anderson was rather more successful than the former United namesake Anderson who now plies his trade back in Brazil with Internacional.
Youri Tielemans
With Michael Carrick now performing in the twilight of his professional career, Metro reported earlier this month that United are lining up a move for Anderlecht’s Youri Tielemans as his successor.
One of the finest young players in all of Europe right now, the 18-year-old already boasts a level of experience having played Champions League football with the Belgian giants last season, impressing against Arsenal over two fixtures.
Having made his Champions League debut at just 16, Tielemans’ talent has been incredibly eye-catching over the past couple of seasons and there’s no doubting he’ll go on to play for a European powerhouse.
But could that be United? A rather handsome fee may well make that happen in three months’ time.
Nico Gaitan
Manchester United fans will be absolutely sick of hearing reports linking Benfica’s Nico Gaitan with a move to Old Trafford but fresh stories have been hitting the tavern of late.
Just days ago, Metro reported that the Argentine international was unsure over signing a new deal at Estadio da Luz with United still reportedly in the hunt for his signature following years of the club trailing him closely.
Now 27-years-old, Gaitan is in the peak of his career and in order to prove his class, transferring from the stepping stone Primeira Liga to a top division like the Premier League would really provide him the stage to prove he’s truly a world class act.
One of the most high-profile players in Portugal right now, United would have to pay a huge fee to secure his services however.
Ayoze Perez
With Wayne Rooney suffering from a real downturn in form over the past 18 months or so, United of course swooped for Anthony Martial on deadline day to swell the attacking ranks but even now, the Red Devils still look relatively light up top.
Outside those two there is really only James Wilson as another out-and-out attacker so The Guardian‘s reports that the club are interested in Newcastle United’s Ayoze Perez seem to make sense.
One of the few bright spots in a dire couple of seasons for the Magpies, Perez’s good performances have come as something as a surprise given the fact he only arrived from Tenerife last summer as somebody who was perceived to only be playing a bit-part role at best.
Now usually one of the first names down on Steve McClaren’s team-sheet when fit, Ayoze might not be United class yet but with top class striking additions proving a rare commodity in the summer, Louis van Gaal might have to go for a left-field option such as Perez while hopefully transforming him into a world beater.
Jorginho
Right now, Manchester United aren’t struggling for top class solutions in central midfield with Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger’s double capture in the summer making the Red Devils look incredibly well stocked in that department.
However, as alluded to on our Tielemans slide, Michael Carrick isn’t getting any younger and there’s no guarantees for how long Marouane Fellaini will be a United player so the club’s interest in another additional midfielder isn’t the most zany idea.
Alongside Tielemans, another centre mid recently linked with a United switch has been Napoli’s Jorginho who The Telegraph claim the Red Devils are battling Liverpool to sign.
With Paris Saint-Germain also keen on the uncapped naturalised Italian, competition for Jorginho’s signature is tough but we’ve seen United become a little more, how shall we say – carefree – with their spending in more recent times!
