Louis Van Gaal To Spend AU $60M To Buy Defensive Reinforcements For Manchester United

Manchester United have arguably the best set of attacking footballers in all of the Barclays Premier League. No club will be able to match the quality of the attack minded players at Louis van Gaal's disposal. Captain Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Angel Di Maria, Juan Mata and Radamel Falcao, who has come in loan till the end of the season, should be enough to break any defensive formation of a team. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of their defensive unit. That is all set to change in this winter transfer window, with the manager tipped to spend in the region of AU $60 million (£ 30 million) for new defensive reinforcements.

On top of the managers wish list is the World Cup winning German defender Mats Hummels. Having played for clubs like Bayern Munich he will have no problems adjusting to a big club with massive fan following. At 26, he is already a winner having won the ultimate footballing competition, the FIFA World Cup. He has also the domestic league and the cup while at Borussia Dortmund. Fans and team mates in Manchester United will relate to such a champion straightaway and such collaboration is bound deliver results.

Van Gaal's second name on his shopping list is his compatriot Kevin Strootman. Very highly rated by the manager he plays for the Italian club AS Roma and is enjoying a very successful season with them at the Serie A. At 24 he is at the right age to mature as a defender and Manchester United will have him in his best years.

Should the above two deals fall through he will next look at Aston Villa centre-back Ron Vlaar as another option. With Vlaar's contract up at the end of the season, Aston Villa might be interested to make a deal now or lose him for free at the end of the season. With these additions to the squad, Manchester United can look ahead to a long and successful reign for Louis van Gaal.