Although Louis Van Gaal has remained adamant that he will not be rushed into making any signings in January, rumors linking Yohan Cabaye to Manchester United has been on the rise over the past few days. The 28-year-old central midfielder who currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain has been linked with Liverpool and Arsenal in the recent past, after his failure to break into the PSG midfield.
Some reports even claim that the Red Devils might swoop in with a bid in January, which given their performances in midfield so far this season, isn’t particularly surprising. But the bigger question that the supporters will be asking themselves is whether he is what the club needs at the moment. Will Cabaye solve United’s midfield woes? Here are three reasons why I think that it wouldn’t be a great move for the Red Devils, who are desperately in need of a boost from somewhere, soon.
More pressing concerns elsewhere
Given the number of injuries that the squad are currently facing in defense, it is fair to say that there are more pressing concerns for Van Gaal than signing another creative midfielder. Already this season, the Dutchman has spoken about how his side lacks the balance between offense and defense. Signing Cabaye will only make that worse as he is another player who wants to go forward rather than help out in defense.
Given the constant injuries that Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, the side’s three senior defenders at the start of the season, have picked up, United would do well sign a couple of experienced centre backs rather than signing another offensive player. While the Frenchman would no doubt improve the midfield, the fact of the matter is that, that isn’t where the problem lies for the Red Devils.
Isn’t the midfielder that United need
For all of his technical gifts and his dead-ball ability, if there is one thing that Cabaye isn’t adept at, that is helping out his side defensively. Throughout his career, the Frenchman has played along with a more defensive player so as to get the best out of him. Unfortunately, the Red Devils are exactly in need of that defensive midfielder and not the more creative player alongside him.
Although the return of Michael Carrick and the performances of Daley Blind are a big plus for the side so far, they still lack a genuine enforcer in midfield. Someone who is not afraid of being physical and getting his hands dirty, but at the same time, is capable of going forward and helping out in attack. Although Cabaye can do the latter, he is not so great at the former and that is precisely why he isn’t what the club need at the moment.
Already have a younger version at the club
At the start of the season, when United weren’t really winning too many games and didn’t break the British transfer record, there was one player who was flourishing in the side. A central midfielder who was continuing his good form from the pre-season tour of USA and was showing signs that he was worth the £29 million that the club paid for him in the summer.
In Ander Herrera, the club already have a player who has the technical qualities to play in the position that Cabaye might occupy. If it weren’t for an injury at the start of the season, the Spaniard would certainly have gone onto become a first-team regular. Offensively, both central midfielders are pretty close in terms of their contribution, but the Spaniard offers a lot more options defensively and excels at pressing high up the pitch and winning the ball back, which the Frenchman doesn’t. Not only that at 25, Herrera is three years younger to Cabaye and arguably has the potential to be even better than the former Newcastle United midfielder in a couple of years time.