What can Kevin Strootman offer Man Utd?
‘The Manchester United midfield crisis’ which has been in existence for three years now is finally about to be solved by a young Dutchman called Kevin Strootman. Wesley Sneijder and Luka Modric amongst others have been named the ‘new Paul Scholes’ in recent years and now the ‘Ginger Prince’ has retired along with Sir Alex Ferguson it is time to a start a new chapter in the heart of the Red Devil’s starting eleven.
But what can Strootman offer Man Utd?
Firstly, it is worth mentioning that he will not be bought as a replacement for Michael Carrick but as a player who can play alongside the Englishman. If Strootman comes in, it is likely they will be the double pivot in front of United’s back four in the modern 4-2-3-1 formation. There is no direct need for United to buy a more advanced creator as they already have Shinji Kagawa at the club who would be able to play in the number 10 role in front of Strootman and Carrick.
As Carrick sits, Strootman is capable of being the box-to-box midfielder United have lacked since Roy Keane retired. He can make breaks from the midfield and is equally capable at sitting in front of the defence and breaking up play. As a former captain of PSV Eindhoven, Strootman is no stranger to pressure so if United sign him he should be able to thrive in the cauldron of Old Trafford.
The Dutchman has been highly recommended by Robin Van Persie who is his Dutch national side team-mate. Strootman has a fantastic passing range but offers so much more than that with his intelligent runs both on and off the ball.
With Strootman easily capable of filling the hole next to Michael Carrick in United’s midfield, David Moyes should look to make the Dutchman his number-one transfer target and with heavy rumours that he will join after the Under-21 Championships it seems the new manager has done just that.
United have been linked to players such as Victor Wanyama and Yohan Cabaye this season and both have split people’s opinions as to whether they are what United need. It seems Strootman is the perfect fit to compliment Michael Carrick rather than replace him. He would be a great long-term investment and for a 23-year-old has fantastic leadership skills and great experience at a high level. His price-tag of £15million is relatively cheap in the current market as well. I expect United fans to be saying “Moyes, sign him up” after reading this, and rightly so.
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