It has been a good transfer window for Manchester United, yet there is still a sense of unfinished business. The club perhaps still lacks another central defender, but of more pertinence is the continued whispering that Kevin Strootman will soon become a Red Devil.
Strootman is a superb midfielder who at 24 could become a huge fixture in the Manchester United midfield. The astute summer additions of Ander Herrera and Daley Blind make the need for a new central midfielder lessen however.
If Michael Carrick returns to his form of two seasons ago, and Angel di Maria continues in his world-class vein, then where would Strootman fit in? The Dutchman would be a worthy buy in the long-term, but it would mean there would have to be a reshuffling somewhere. The most likely scenarios are any of the following:
- Carrick moving into a defensive position
- Juan Mata moving on, and one of Herrera and Di Maria taking up more advanced positions
- Daley Blind becoming nothing more than a back-up utility man
Furthermore there would likely be no Manchester United future for Marouane Fellaini, and more predictably Anderson and Tom Cleverley. Darren Fletcher would also have to settle for the role of experienced squad player.
Strength in numbers will be no issue for United in a department that has lacked for many years, especially if they qualify for the Champions League, but something will have to give way in a midfield involving Carrick, Blind, Fletcher, Herrera, Fellaini Di Maria, Mata, Adnan Januzaj and then potentially Strootman.
