Manchester United have been said to be after an energetic, box-to-box midfielder who can both defend and create, but most importantly link the midfield unit to the strikers. That’s my take, anyway. It would make sense, then, that the Daily Star are reporting the Red Devils to be interested in Valencia playmaker Ever Banega, who has racked up 20 key passes in his 12 outings for the La Liga outfit.
But where would he fit in?
The Argentina international is an energetic player who thrives with a defensive midfielder behind him. He has won 23/31 of his tackles and averaged two defensive actions per game, but it’s his ball retention that has impressed most. He has completed 81% of his passes so far this season in the Spanish topflight.
The reports suggest that he has a £50m release clause written into his contract, but the fact that Valencia are in need of some money could lower the asking price to around the £20m mark, which is some way less than the fee they apparently paid for Marouane Fellaini.
Sitting him next to Michael Carrick could prove a shrewd move by David Moyes, should a move go through, as the England international would sit back and let him do the running.
Watch this clip to get a better idea of what I mean.