All posts by h79snht.top

Momentum is gathering behind calls for Arsenal to name Jack Wilshere as their captain in time for the start of next season, but would that simply be placing too much pressure on such a young and relatively inexperienced member of the first-team squad? Handing him the responsibility simply due to a lack of viable alternatives speaks volumes for the lack of leadership within the club as much as it does his readiness to assume the role and that’s the main issue to address here.

Wilshere recently pulled out of the England squad for their upcoming games against San Marino and Montenegro with yet another ankle injury, exposing the flawed logic in making him the team’s go-to leader in the future. Considering he is just 21-years-old, he possesses a maturity that defies his tender age, but he has still made just 90 appearances for the club across all competitions and just 26 in the last two years.

Even factoring in that he may be similar in style to England and Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard, in that he leads by example rather than any vocal ability to rouse his troops like John Terry for instance, his absenteeism will not have gone unnoticed. When it comes to picking captains, in what many consider an increasingly obsolete and arbitrary role largely made for ceremonial duties than anything it brings to performance, it’s fair to say Arsene Wenger has something of a patchy record.

After inheriting Tony Adams, Wenger backed the club stalwart at a difficult time in his personal life and he responded brilliantly, with an old-school type of leadership, but since then, every decision has become more and more questionable. Wenger seems to have fallen into the trap of simply naming his best player as captain by and large in recent years, in an attempt to engender some sort of loyalty out of them when bigger clubs come calling, but Patrick Vieira left two years after being made skipper, Thierry Henry only took two years also while Cesc Fabregas left in the summer of 2011 three years after being handed the role, with Robin van Persie bringing up the rear so to speak with just a solitary campaign to his name.

Then you have the odd selections, such as handing it to William Gallas, a divisive, deeply childish and widely disliked by some, who lasted just 17 months as skipper from July 2007-November 2008, but spectacularly went off the wagon by choosing to publicly criticise many prominent members of the squad in the media, causing a dressing room split and by the time he left the club, him and Samir Nasri weren’t even on speaking terms.

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Moving on to the latest bizarre choice and Thomas Vermaelen looks set to have the position taken away from him simply because it was the only reason assuring him of his place in the side after a truly terrible season in terms of his own personal form. Wenger stated after he left him out of the starting eleven for the team’s game against Bayern Munich in the Champions League: “Who is a captain and a leader shouldn’t guarantee you a place in any team.

“In England it’s true … the captaincy is of massive importance.”But for purely sporting reasons, or tactical reasons in the game, when you don’t think it is the right selection, do you put the player in just as he is captain? That is disrespectful to the guy who doesn’t play. For sporting reasons, it is not completely justifiable.” His time is nigh.

So the spotlight has inevitably fallen to Wilshere, perhaps one of the only members of the first-team squad that has the requisite mental toughness for the role. Fabregas was given the role at the same age and Wilshere wore the armband for the first time in a game against West Ham in January of this year, with Vermaelen’s position set to come under the scope of an internal review at the end of the campaign.

Sure, naming Wilshere as captain would buy Wenger a degree of security from an increasingly bitter Arsenal faithful who have become more and more frustrated by the Frenchman in recent seasons, but that can’t and shouldn’t be the underlying principle behind the move. However, as the England cricket team has shown in the past with Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and Ian Botham, the finest individual doesn’t always make the greatest captain.

There’s a certain sense of inevitability about it all; Wilshere will one day be Arsenal and England captain, that much is clear just as it was with Gerrard and Terry over a decade ago. He’s made of the right stuff but there’s a very real worry that they are building him up before he is truly ready to take over the mantle.

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Cast your eyes around the Arsenal changing room, and you will see Per Mertesacker (28 years old and with 86 Germany caps), Lukas Podolski (27-years-old and with 107 Germany caps), Tomas Rosicky (32 years old and with 89 Czech Republic caps) and Santi Cazorla (28-years-old and with 51 Spain caps). Is the biggest problem not that despite all of this experience at the top level, none of them are even considered candidates for the role? It speaks volumes for the sort of mentally fragile squad that Wenger has assembled. Would Mikel Arteta not be a safer bet for the time being with Wilshere stepping up into the vice-captaincy first? A gradual transition rather than a populist coronation is what’s needed most here.

Promoting Wilshere as captain before his time would seem a deeply rash move and partly done for selfish reasons to buy himself some credit back with a disillusioned following. Making some a designated leader because there’s nobody else that fits the criteria is part of a wider problem. It’s a flaw with the club’s transfer policy that’s been widely pointed out for some time now and placing so much pressure on a 21-year-old still finding his feet and battling with his fitness is just the latest consequence of Wenger making mistake after mistake back down the line.

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It’s not often in football journalism you hear a good story about a fan, nor a good story about a manager who has done something nice for a fan.  The reason for this is because this type of news is usually known to be mundane, not outlandish, it doesn’t cross the border of ‘against the norm’.  There is the usual cliché saying that ‘no news is good news’, however in this instance, the journey of Abel Rodriguez is a heart warming story that really should be broadcasted.

Cleaner, Abel Rodriguez is a 41-year-old Mexican-American who waxes floors for Los Angeles Metro Transportation.  For the past 7 years, every summer Rodriguez would take 2 weeks vacation to do voluntary support work at Real Madrid’s Pre-Season training camp in L.A.  Everyday for those two weeks Rodriguez would wake up at 5am, leave his house in Fontana to prepare the training camp and help Mourinho with anything he and his staff would need.  Rodriguez would then arrive back to his home at 11pm, where he would sleep and do it all over again the next day.  Why?  Quite simply because of his love for the game and of course he is a big Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho fan.  Rodriguez had a dream, although he had never ventured into Europe he wanted to watch El Clasico in person at the Bernabau.  With Mourinho looking likely to exit in the summer, Rodriguez realised that his last chance would be on 2nd March.  However, it seemed inevitable that with a wife and 3 kids, the holiday fund Rodriguez had been saving wouldn’t be going towards this.  That was until his wife and his eldest daughter told him to go, they knew how much this would mean to him.  So he went, no tickets, no hotels but he managed to buy his flights and arrived in Madrid on the 28th February.  Not really knowing where to go Rodriguez headed to Madrid’s training complex and was of course turned down and refused entry.  With nothing else to do Rodriguez sat on a snow cover path and waited, he waited for 5 hours for nothing, as far as he knew.  That was until Mourinho came driving past in the passenger seat of his assistant Rui Faria’s car

‘It was a miracle that I saw him, I saw Abel seated on the side of the road outside the training ground’  Said Mourinho ‘ I told Rui, stop! It’s the guy from the Los Angeles’

When Rodriguez explained the situation, Mourinho couldn’t believe it.  Immediately he sorted Rodriguez out with a room in the teams hotel, superb tickets for the game and dinner with all the coaching staff the next night.  Rodriguez witnessed Mardid beat Barcelona 2-1 and went to the dressing room after where he had his picture taken with Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina legend Diego Maradona.  About to say his final farewells, Mourinho did not stop there.  He hired Rodriguez on as kit staff and flew him to Manchester for the last 16 Champions league against United.  Rodriguez at this point was not only crying with joy but was regarded as a lucky charm for the team.  On the 5th March, Rodriguez walked out onto Old Trafford and represented Real Madrid as one of the team.  Even his family and friends back home in L.A saw him walking off the pitch after the game had finished.

After the game he spoke to a variety of United and Madrid players and was at one with the team.  The next day he flew back to Madrid and ever the hard worker, stayed behind to unload the kit.

Rodriguez still hasn’t managed to say thank you to Mourinho and this story being told is more than a way of doing that.  What both Rodriguez and Mourinho showed here is a side of football that doesn’t get seen.  This journey has not actually transformed a player or a manager’s life but a fan’s life.  Not only that because as this story is told millions of fans across the world are touched and brought together by why football can be so rewarding.  Even if you are not a fan of Mourinho you can’t help but immensely respect what he did for this man.  Stories like this may happen all the time but just don’t get shared.  It is important that we share and keep stories like this in our lives and football, because there is a lot more to it than just money.

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Morale boosting stories such as this one can have a massive effect on footballers themselves.  To know you play in a sport which can change someone’s life is hugely rewarding.  Underlying this if you played for a manager who you knew did that your respect for him would go through the roof.  If your respect for your manager isn’t already that is.

The reputation of football is one of greed and lack of effort, ‘a gentleman’s sport played by thugs’ some say.  Only stories such as these can give off an impression that football really is much more than 90 minutes on a pitch.  If stories like this are to be forever told, football’s light will shed a much more positive one.  This could reflect massively among the youth.  As role models footballers and managers alike should aptly demonstrate behaviours of correctness and times of magic only they might be able to make possible.  Setting an example like Jose Mourinho will do wonders for the game and its reputation.

Real Madrid had an insider at Tottenham doing a lot of the necessary dirty work last summer. Luka Modric played a key role in forcing through his sale to Real Madrid, using all the modern tricks in the book to undermine Tottenham and Daniel Levy’s position, even if on paper they held a strong hand. This time around, Real Madrid are continuing to use similar tactics that has won over previous stars of the Premier League, proving that the Spanish giants are not prepared to learn from previous ventures.

But in honesty, who can really tell clubs like Real Madrid or Barcelona to keep their distance? It’s the Bayern Munich story on a Europe-wide scale. Whatever they want they eventually get. Tottenham and certain corners of the English football community – those who would unconditionally back the underdog – simply don’t have the power to forge a counter attack; at the very least the feeble defence barrier holds well enough for an extra 12 months. But the wider story here is that none of these clubs, especially those with the current standing of Tottenham (relative to Real Madrid), can do much to intimidate those who persistently come knocking.

These are underhanded tactics that will never truly be eradicated from football. Sure, they wind up Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United, and any other unfortunate English club whose star player pops up on La Liga clubs’ radar, but it’s become the norm of the transfer circus. And they simply won’t take no for an answer.

It was reported earlier in the month that Real Madrid had notified Tottenham that they would not launch a bid for Gareth Bale this summer, in an act that can only be described as a ‘gentleman’s agreement,’ yet one with devilish undertones. Are we really supposed to believe that? They’ll get what they want, even if they have to force Bale to push the transfer from his end.

On this occasion it’s slightly different. In the past, Cesc Fabregas wanted to return ‘home,’ Cristiano Ronaldo had apparently always dreamt of playing for Real Madrid, and Luka Modric became one of those players who simply couldn’t say no to the Spanish Giants. Our footballers in Britain, on the other hand, look up to clubs like Manchester United and hold them as the truest and highest point of the game. Ironically, United could arguably fall into that category of getting exactly what they want, too. But the significance here is that Bale’s British nationality may not force the kind of rise that the utterance of the words ‘Real Madrid’ would in European or South American players.

But in the grander scheme of things, that doesn’t really matter. Zinedine Zidane has been out talking up Gareth Bale as one of the best players in the world, topped only by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. In Florentino Perez’s eyes, Bale was “born to play for Real Madrid.” It’s getting messy for Tottenham (again), but it’s something that simply can’t be escaped. There are no lessons to be learnt here. Madrid’s aim is the Champions League. They want to become the undisputed dominant force in Spanish football. They understand the importance of toppling the powers from Germany. If Tottenham are in the firing line, so what?

And Real Madrid will continue to chip away at Tottenham’s credibility in all this. Daniel Levy wants something in the region of £80 million? Well that’s not happening. Selling club’s generally don’t dictate how much a player goes for. The market and, in this case, Real Madrid, hold the upper hand. It’s all part of the process. Why spend that much on a player when he can be had for much, much less if the selling club have little choice in the matter? It creates the image of player power, but that’s not really the case. Just like Financial Fair Play, these tactics are there to be exploited in order to keep the rich at the top and the poor well away.

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Even with his steely determination, something which should be admired, Daniel Levy is close to powerless to stop Madrid from getting what they want. Those defence shields may come up and the celebrations of victory in battle will arise, but they will be short lived. Clubs like Real Madrid always win the war, even if it means postponing their final and decisive assault by 12 months.

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New Everton boss Roberto Martinez is keen to make a summer move for Chelsea winger Victor Moses, according to reports from the Sunday People.

The now Goodison Park chief coached the Nigerian international at Wigan, and is believed to be keen to reunite with his former star after being named Toffees manager.

Moses is thought to be facing a tough fight for first-team football next term, with Jose Mourinho already being linked with a number of big name stars.

The likes of Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar are already ahead of the 22-year-old in the pecking order, and speculation suggests that the ‘Special One’ could make moves for a number of established stars in the coming months.

Martinez is keen to take advantage of this, and is confident that he can tempt Chelsea to allow the man they signed for £9m last summer move on.

Moses himself could be keen on a switch, after watching his career stagnate since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

Martinez may also make moves for a number of his former Wigan players, with Callum McManaman, Shaun Maloney and Ivan Ramis all on his wish list.

James McCarthy remains one of the Spaniard’s top targets, but he will face competition from Arsenal and Wigan for the midfielder.

Should Victor Moses leave Chelsea? And would he be the ideal man for Everton?

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Comment below to have your say!

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Indecisiveness and an overall lack of action.

There is no such thing as patience when it comes to the transfer market – at least that’s the way it should be. I’ve written that before. I’ve also said that Arsenal don’t quite know how much of a good opportunity they have this summer to really make up ground on the top teams in England and around Europe. The fans aren’t stupid, as much as Arsene Wenger may want to think they are. So booing at the Emirates Cup is warranted, and it has little to do with “Wenger out” or not being a real supporter.

It is worth pointing out that the booing of Gonzalo Higuain was ridiculous, almost as if to say he snubbed Arsenal. The deal was on the table and even Napoli didn’t believe they had a chance of snapping him up due to the continued links with Arsenal. It’s far, far from the player’s fault, and any vitriol aimed at him was beyond childish.

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But fans don’t want to go through the pain of the struggle for fourth when the resources are quite clearly available to strengthen beyond that. I still maintain that Ivan Gazidis was intent on the club spending big this summer, but the indecision and lack of communication from the manager has left the club in this position. Yes, there probably will be signings – the club numerically can’t go without any. But are they the top targets? Will it be too late? Is the squad, as it is, good enough through the qualifying round of the Champions League?

Wenger offered up a few gems prior to the Emirates Cup on the weekend, namely by asking whether anyone could name a player who was better than what the club currently had, once again assuming that the media and supporters are oblivious to good footballers outside their own club. As I wrote last week, sometimes someone just needs to have a quiet word and tell Wenger that he should avoid ruffling the feathers in the way he does. It makes him look foolish, as well as the rest of the board.

Even with all the money in the world – because let’s be honest, £100 million is still a lot of money to use in a strengthening project over a summer – Wenger appears to be remaining true to his form, that being a lack of clear options. And here’s the thing: I don’t see Wayne Rooney or Luis Suarez as options, because if the whole summer is being wasted to only get them in during the last half hour of the window, then can they really be considered options? Not if you’re out of the Champions League and a handful of points adrift from the top spot in the league.

I also wasn’t too keen on Mikel Arteta’s summation of the current situation when he said the best players move at the end of the window. Far from the truth, as Edinson Cavani has already moved, Higuain has gone, Mario Gomez, Stevan Jovetic, Mario Goetze, James Rodriguez, Radamel Falcao, Isco… I could go on forever.

Not only is there indecisiveness but there is also a lack of planning. Where is the concrete evidence to support that? Well you don’t really need any, do you? Arsenal are unbelievably easy to read when it comes to transfer dealings. They speak in riddles, but really it’s just a song and dance to tell you that nothing is actually happening – and sometimes they flat out tell you that.

Prior to this summer Arsenal fans didn’t really know what the situation was at the club. Through the media they were constantly fed contrasting stories about funds be available or the need to balance the books and stay afloat. For that it wasn’t always easy to condone the rising tide of anger at the Emirates. But now it’s different. The public has had the CEO of the club lay it out in the simplest of terms that money is available, that the struggles of the past few years have been building towards this summer. The boos at the Emirates Cup, fully warranted, were a ripple of what’s the come if the club continue on the same path. Signing will be made, but without the world-class players who can genuinely turn this team around, the growing boos will very much carry plenty of weight.

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Do supporters have a right to be angered by the inaction of Arsenal?

Join the debate below

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AC Milan and Inter Milan have both set their sights on former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song, according to talkSPORT.

The Cameroon international may be on the move in January, after struggling to establish himself at Barcelona since his move in the summer of 2012.

He had been strongly linked with a possible return to Arsenal, although Arsene Wenger does not appear interested after signing Mathieu Flamini on a free in the summer.

The Frenchman has excelled in the holding midfield position, meaning Wenger does not need to spend money to re-sign Song.

However, San Siro giants AC Milan and Inter Milan have both made enquiries about the 26-year-old’s availability, and could be set for a January battle for his services.

Song is under contract at the Nou Camp until 2017, and has made just 22 league starts since arriving at the Nou Camp almost 18 months ago.

A brief stint at centre half did not have the same impact as Javier Mascherano’s positional change, and the Catalan club are thought to be ready to listen to offers in January.

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Song made close to 150 league appearances for the Gunners, after joining as a youngster in 2005. His final season at the Emirates saw him produce arguably his best form, as he struck a devastating understanding with Robin van Persie, although both were to leave the club the following summer.

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Many anticipated the Premier League clash between Aston Villa and Crystal Palace at Villa Park would be a relatively drab affair, and managers Paul Lambert and Tony Pulis did little to challenge expectations.

The visitors sat back to wait for opportunities on the break, whilst the Villians failed to capitalise on a wealth of possession – 80% after the first twenty minutes, and 65% at the final whistle.

The game struggled to inspire and was mainly lost to long-ball football, which proved incredibly unproductive for both sides with Palace’s Marouane Chamakh and Villa’s Christian Benteke both absent through injury.

The only significant chance of the first half went to Libor Kozak, who had an injury time header from a corner blocked by Adrian Mariappa.

After the break however both sides upped the ante, with Yanik Bolasie and Jason Puncheon causing headaches for the Villa defence. Brad Guzan managed to beat away a Puncheon toe-poke in the 48th minute.

A quick end-to-end flurry in the 54th minute saw a decent effort from Andreas Weimann held by Julian Speroni after an excellent ball from Fabian Delph, followed by the visitors countering down the other end and former Villain Barry Bannan hitting the woodwork.

The intensity grew as the final whistle drew closer. Bolasie and Puncheon  both remained considerable threats, whilst Dwight Gayle came off the bench for Cameron Jerome. Jordan Bowrey then entered the fray for the Birmingham outfit, and forced Julian Speroni into an acrobatic save from a header in the 89th minute.

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It was the Palace sub who proved to be the deciding factor however, netting an unbelievable stoppage time curler that saw the visitors go back to South-East London with all three points. It puts Crystal Palace out of the relegation zone and Aston Villa just three points above it.

A vital win for Tony Pulis, but Paul Lambert will be concerned with the groans of discontent at Villa Park after the final whistle.

Forget the players. Forget Alan Pardew. Even forget  Mike Ashley’s debilitating lack of investment. The real reason behind Newcastle United’s slump in form was revealed over the weekend.

After Pardew’s comments blaming the local media for Newcastle’s latest troubles on the pitch, regional newspaper the Sunday Sun decided to issue an apology to their readership. Accepting full responsibility for the club’s horrendous recent run of results, the newspaper also held themselves accountable for “headbutting David Meyler too.”

The Toon Army on Twitter have reacted positively to the sarcastic headline.

Fans of the Magpies have grown tired of Pardew consistently blaming anything other than himself for the club’s troubles, with the Newcastle Evening Chronicle even producing a random excuse generator to aid the manager in future interviews and press conferences.

The “apology” came after the Toon Army publicly expressed their anger with Pardew at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, with the latest defeat hardly strengthening the manager’s case.

However, Newcastle fans can now relax their campaign. The Sunday Sun have finally accepted responsibility for the club’s troubles this season.

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Former Liverpool hero Dietmar Hamann believes that his old club will rue missing out on the Premier League title this season.

The Reds had played themselves into pole position for English football’s top prize a few weeks ago, but a 2-0 home loss to Chelsea and a dramatic late collapse which led to a 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace allied to Manchester City’s results have left them hoping for a minor miracle on the final day of the season.

Liverpool’s rise has been somewhat of a surprise, with Brendan Rodgers’ men having finished seventh last season and missed out on Europa League qualification.

In respect of that this season has been a massive success on Merseyside, but Hamann – a part of the iconic 2005 Champions League-winning team – feels that they will look back on 2013/14 as a missed chance:

“If Liverpool don’t win the title, it will be a huge missed opportunity. In football you have to take your chances when you get them.” He told the Liverpool Echo.

“Even though nobody expected them to be in this position, they are there on merit.

“It’s not as if they have punched above their weight. They won 11 games on the spin and you only do that if you are a top team.

“They deserved a shot at the title and it would be a huge opportunity missed.”

Despite the feeling of negativity at Anfield, Liverpool can still win a first ever Premier League crown by taking three points from Newcastle on Sunday as long as City slip to defeat at the hands of West Ham.

And Hamann – who also played for the Sky Blues – feels that the pressure is on Manuel Pellegrini’s side:

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“The title isn’t gone, City will still need something on the final day to be champions.

“It’s far from over.”

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With Manchester United’s midfield in desperate need of some fresh blood, the Old Trafford side have been linked with Roma star Kevin Strootman.

The 24 year-old missed the World Cup through injury, and will remain sidelined until November at the earliest. But that doesn’t appear to have deterred Louis van Gaal’s interest, having hinted earlier this week Strootman is on his radar.

Of course, the Dutch duo know each other well. The tough-tackling midfielder has been an integral part of the Netherlands first team over the last few years and is currently their official vice-captain.

Roma apparently want £79million for Strootman, who only joined the Stadio Olympico ranks last summer.

But regardless, we think the Oranje international would be perfect for Manchester United and resultantly have conjured up FIVE reasons the Red Devils must sign him…

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THE DUTCH ROY KEANE

As mentioned on his Wikipedia page and in any article ever suggesting a move to Manchester United…

Kevin Strootman is often referred to as ‘The Dutch Roy Keane’. So what better home for him than Old Trafford?

Indeed, like the former Red Devils skipper, the 24 year-old is tenacious and tough-tackling. He came 13th in Serie A’s challenges-per-match table last season, as detailed below:

United’s midfield has lacked that energy and bite for some time, especially amid Darren Fletcher’s long-term illness. Here’s Strootman putting his boot in (amongst other things) against Ajax during his PSV days:

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FUTURE CAPTAIN MATERIAL

And thus, sharing the undying determination of Roy Keane, Kevin Strootman is undoubtedly future captain material.

He’s already taken skipper duties on a permanent basis for former club PSV, despite being just 23 years of age, and Louis van Gaal has even issued him the armband for the Netherlands on occasion too.

Interestingly enough, following the departure of Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United are on the prowl for a new captain.

Despite his freshness to the Carrington scene, I’m sure the Old Trafford faithful would much prefer Strootman donning the armband next season than Tom Cleverley, who was met with a tirade of social media abuse after being named skipper by van Gaal during United’s pre-season friendly against Roma:

CONTRIBUTION GOING FORWARD

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Despite what my adoration for Kevin Strootman’s tackling ability might initially suggest, the Oranje international is by no means a one-trick pony.

In truth, he comes with an excellent all-round game and his contribution going forward was vital for Roma last season as they staged a surprise runner up finish in Serie A. Here’s his attacking vitals for the campaign:

And a look at his equally impressive passing statistics:

As the stats suggest, the 24 year-old is a lot more than your generic holding midfielder. He’s competent on the ball and efficient in the final third, making him an ideal box-to-boxer from Manchester United’s point of view. Take this piledriver from last season for example:

That should see him fit into Louis van Gaal’s attacking philosophy perfectly as the deepest-lying midfielder.

POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH VAN GAAL

Louis van Gaal doesn’t have a positive relationship with every player he works with. Just as Rivaldo:

But the United gaffer is known to have a strong bond with Kevin Strootman, having made him a central figure in the Netherlands team and issued him 15 caps since taking the Oranje reins in summer 2012.

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And as previously stated, LVG has even handed the 24 year-old the armband on occasion, officially making him vice-captain for Holland. And as the Manchester United gaffer has continually stated in regards to the Red Devils’ vacant captaincy, that basically means you’re the son he’s never had:

VAN GAAL ACTUALLY WANTS HIM

Louis van Gaal’s transfer targets have surprised many this summer, the most notable example being the Dutchman’s apparent reluctance to sign World Cup winner Toni Kroos for an incredibly cheap £20million fee, despite Manchester United’s obvious need for greater talent in central midfield and the potential move already set up by predecessor David Moyes:

But the Red Devils gaffer has confirmed in the last few days that Kevin Strootman, despite being injured, remains on his radar:

Understandably so; LVG is planning major philosophical changes at Old Trafford and the Roma midfielder would be an ideal on-pitch general to help implement them.

Of course, the main issue – apart from Strootman’s fitness issues which will see him out until at least November – is price-tag, with the Serie A runners-up reluctant to cash-in on a player they signed only twelve months ago.

Rather ridiculously, they’ve reportedly placed a £79million valuation on Strootman: