Louis van Gaal is not planning to strengthen his Manchester United squad in January unless a key target becomes available, with the manager focussing instead on next summer.
Despite the faltering season so far and the ongoing injuries to Van Gaal’s squad, particularly in defence, the manager and United executives believe acquiring top quality players is a more realistic proposition in the close season rather than in the winter window, when many clubs remain in Champions League or Europa League competition.
United’s current tally of 13 points is half that of the leaders Chelsea, leaving the 20-times champions in 10th place. So, with a fourth-place finish and a return to Champions League football the minimum requirement of Van Gaal, the transfer strategy may raise questions.
As reported in the Guardian in September, the club have made a sizeable warchest available to Van Gaal should be wish to move in January – but the 63-year-old is encouraged by the progress of the squad as it stands, so any recruitment after Christmas is now being viewed as an exception.
Van Gaal remains an admirer of Kevin Strootman, yet with the midfielder still to play for Roma again following his knee injury, the manager wants time to assess his countryman over the coming months.
Besides the issue over the 24-year-old’s recovery, it also remains unclear if it would be possible to prise him from Roma during mid-season. Rudi Garcia’s side are second in their Champions League group so may progress to the knockout stage, and if not are almost certain to be involved in the Europa League in the new year. They are also only three points behind Juventus in Serie A.
Both Garcia and the club owner, James Pallotta, have denied Strootman is for sale. Last month Pallotta claimed that even a bid of £75m would not be enough. However there is confidence that this stance can be changed at the end of the season, with last summer’s on-off chase for Angel Di Maria evidence of how a deal can be done.
Van Gaal is also keeping tabs on Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels with the view, again, that the German club may be more open to his sale next summer, by which time he will have only two years remaining on his contract.
In September Hummels admitted he could leave Dortmund at some point, saying: “I couldn’t be happier at any other club in the world right now. Should I make a move somewhere else, I would want that to be a fair deal for everyone.”
