From Joe Spence and George Best in the 1950’s and 1960’s to Ryan Giggs, David Beckham in the 1990’s to Cristiano Ronaldo in the early to late 2000’s, if there is one thing Manchester United have always had, that is world class wingers. Wing play has been an integral part of the United DNA since the days of Sir Matt Busby and that was something that was kept alive by Sir Alex Ferguson who had some of the finest collection of wingers during his time at the club.
Unfortunately for the club, their attack has been rather predictable of late. And although they have stuck to their guns and attacked down the flanks, the lack of quality has been evident. For all of their abilities, Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia are nowhere near the same class as Giggs and Beckham and that has resulted in some pretty dour football last season.
Although the club got a lot of money for Ronaldo, they haven’t been able to replace him and ever since Giggs moved into a more central role, the left flank has been left vacant as well. It has been a long time since both players vacated their respective roles on the right and left flank, neither have been adequately replaced. While Valencia has shown glimpses of how good he can be going forward, he isn’t of the same ilk as Ronaldo and is very limited in how he can affect the opposition.
While they have at least had a solid performer in Valencia on the right, the left flank has been a worry for United, with Wayne Rooney, Shinji Kagawa and Danny Welbeck having to play there as a result of the lack of quality options. Although the arrival of Adnan Januzaj means that there is a bright future in store, they need someone for the present. So, the news that the Red Devils are in for Ronaldo’s Real Madrid team-mate Angel Di Maria is something that will surely please the fans.
While there have been differing reports on whether he is coming or not, one thing is for sure, if he does come in, he will certainly add some quality on the wings. One of Di Maria’s greatest assets is his ability on the ball. He is one of those rare wingers, who can not only whip in devilish crosses that the strikers can feast on, but is also tricky and can also get out of a tight spot with his pace and trickery.
Di Maria’s pace has made him lethal on the counter-attack for Real Madrid and that is one that the Red Devils have certainly been lacking on the left flank. While Young certainly is capable of whipping balls, he never really looks confident enough to beat his man and his injuries have meant that he hasn’t been a consistent part of the starting XI as well.
The arrival of Di Maria will mean that not only will United finally have a natural left winger, but also someone who can dribble past opponents and provide an end product that all of United’s wingers lacked last season. His direct style of play, ability to use the space in front of him and his skill with the ball at his feet make him a no-brainer as far as United as concerned.
With Real Madrid reportedly interested in singing As Monaco’s Colombian sensation James Rodriguez, they might just be willing to let Di Maria go. And with Van Gaal looking out for natural wingers, this might just be a match made in heaven. While the fact that United aren’t in the Champions League might prove to be a stumbling block, as long as Van Gaal is able to convince the 26-year-old that it is only temporary and the club can offer him a lucrative contract, the Red Devils might just get their hands on the versatile Argentine winger.
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