Which Man Utd signing is the most impressive so far?
Louis van Gaal and co. have had a busy few days. Manchester United recently snagged the signatures of right-back Matteo Darmian, midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Morgan Schneiderlin, following the early summer deal for Memphis Depay, to truly get their transfer plans going.
Red Devils fans are understandably excited that Van Gaal is finally getting more aggressive in obtaining his transfer targets and beginning to rebuild after a 2014/15 capaign which, although finished with the desired result, was a little underwhelming. To help see how big of an impact each player will have on the squad this season, here are Manchester United’s summer signings so far, ordered from least to most impressive according to Football FanCast:
4. Bastian Schweinsteiger
The German captain has an impressive CV, with eight Bundesliga championships and over 100 assists in 500 appearances for Bayern Munich. There’s no doubt he knows how to win. However, he is approaching his 31st birthday and has been slowed by injury recently, making him a short-term signing instead of the long-term investment United need.
3. Matteo Darmian
The 25-year-old right-back arrives at Old Trafford on a four-year contract ready to contest Antonio Valencia for a starting spot. Darmian registered a career-best five goals and four assists for Torino last season, and was also in Italy’s World Cup squad last summer. Despite his slim frame, he led Torino with 2.6 tackles per game, and hopefully he will be able to compete physically in the Premier League.
2. Memphis Depay
United’s first summer signing fulfilled a major need: goalscoring. As a winger, Depay has impressive speed and dribbling skills, as well as long-range shooting (57 percent of his shots were from outside the box last season). But the 28-goal PSV star also played as a striker for the Netherlands, scoring three goals in 17 international showings, and Van Gaal plans to test him up top alongside Wayne Rooney.
1. Morgan Schneiderlin
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Schneiderlin enjoyed a stunning 2014/15 season in which he started 28 out of the 30 games he played for Southampton and maintained an 89.3% pass success rate, while leading the Saints midfielders in interceptions. The Frenchman scored a career-best five goals and notched one assist, but had a stellar defensive contribution as well with 3.7 tackles per Premier League game, more than any United player.