Appreciate The Players We Have

I know of a lot of United "supporters" on Twitter who continuously slag off some of our players. If they don't perform well in a single match, their head is instantly on the chopping block. What most of these "supporters" don't realise is how fortunate we are to have these players in our squad when they could have easily been in a rival team's one. 

What a lot of football supporters in general fail to realise is how long and arduous the transfer process actually is, and that's where David Gill comes in for United. When David Gill says that United are "looking at a player", he doesn't only mean that United are monitoring that player's progress but that they're also opening up lines of communication with that player's club and such if they haven't already so transfer processes sometimes start months in advance. 

There are basically 6 steps to a transfer process and I won't go into any boring details, I'll just list them quickly. 

1. A written offer has to be made and a fee for the player has to be agreed.

2. The player's personal terms have to be agreed (salary and sign-on fee).

3.  Bonuses and image rights for the player have to be agreed.

4. The player has to agree with the package that has been offered to him via his agent.

5. The agent's fees need to be agreed upon.

6. When the deal is done, the necessary documents need to be submitted to the relevant football authorities.

If you want to know more, you're welcome to read all the details: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6314369.stm

Transfers can go really smoothly  and can get done within a couple of days or they can break down by the time clubs get to step 4 where the player is unhappy about the package which he has been offered and this is one of the main reasons that clubs often spend more than they were supposed to on a player. All the add-ons that is required to sign a player can also become a bit overwhelming for clubs and negotiations will again break down. Hence, there are a lot of things that could potentially go wrong when a club tries to sign a player, especially a player who is already one of the best.

This makes you realise how hard David Gill and other executives of the club actually work to ensure that transfer deals go through and get done, so be thankful for the players that we do have because United's executives worked really hard to get them in the first place.

Why United Need Kevin Strootman

United have been lacking in midfield prowess ever since Roy Keane left. We have failed to replace him and as a result, our midfield has suffered. If you are a true United supporter, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Now, in the past couple of weeks Cleverley and Carrick have formed a good partnership with each other but we need more than just that, we need leadership, we need Kevin Strootman.

Stootman is one of the most talented young midfielders right now and if United manage to buy him at the end of this season, it would be an amazing coup. That's not to say that other English clubs are trying to pry him away from PSV Eindhoven in the forms of Liverpool and Arsenal but which player can resist a move to one of the biggest clubs in the world? And since he wants to play in England, United should have no problem in tying up the deal. Below I've compiled 5 reasons as to why United need Kevin Strootman:

1. Leadership Qualities

United have been missing a dominating presence in midfield ever since the departure of Roy Keane. Yes, Paul Scholes has been there running things in midfield but he hasn't been leading our midfield the way it needs to be lead. If we look at City's midfield, they have a dominating presence in the form of Yaya Toure. He is a physical presence at 1.88m tall and 79kgs in weight. More often than not, he dictates a lot of City's play. United need someone like that. Strootman is 1.86m tall and 78kgs in weight, very similar to Toure and he will be able to present a physical presence in our midfield as well as lead it since he can play as a creative, defensive or holding midfielder, very versatile. 

2. He Is Cheap!

We all know that the price of players has always been a sticking point with United. We missed out on Sneijder (thankfully) because United couldn't meet his asking price and we've missed out on Moura too for the same reason. PSV, believe it or not, want £15m for Strootman. 15! Now that, is a bargain in my humble opinion. He's one of the most promising young talents in Europe and PSV only want £15m for him. Ferguson's mouth would have watered when he heard that. Very affordable indeed.

3. Legacy

Sir Alex is building up one more legendary squad that is capable of winning anything and everything before he leaves United. Why do you think that United have signed so many players in their early 20s in the past 3 seasons? He's building up a squad so that when the new boss of United comes in, he won't have to worry that much about adding to the squad because that squad will already be the formula for success. At the age of 22, it's hard to believe that Strootman doesn't tick all the boxes for Ferguson. 

4. The Dutch Connection

Strootman has already made 15 appearances for Holland and he is in the squad to face Italy next month. The fact that he's made 15 appearances for his country means that he's had a chance to link up with fellow countryman Robin van Persie and if Strootman does come to United, it would be hard to imagine that he and RVP would not have a brilliant partnership. Dutchmen seem to be successful at United and since many clubs in the EPL are looking at players from certain leagues, Swansea-La Liga and Newcastle-Ligue 1, the Eredivisie might just be a new hunting ground for United.

5. Instant Favourite 

Lots of United supporters, myself included, are already huge fans of Strootman because we know that he is what United's midfield desperately needs. He is quite mature for his age scoring 5 goals in 9 games for PSV this season and gaining 15 caps for his country so that means that he isn't afraid of pressure and that he can perform when United need him most, just what every United supporter loves. 

If Strootman moves to Arsenal or Liverpool in the July transfer window, my mind will be boggled. Losing such a promising player to another club in the EPL would be less than ideal. I am certain that Sir Alex is quite aware of him though and I hope that by August this year, Kevin Strootman will be a United player.

Do Not Sell De Gea

There are a fair amount of rumours making the rounds since the January transfer window is coming to a close and those rumours include the sale of Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea with reports stating that Sir Alex is unhappy with his performances this season. 

I personally think that United should not sell De Gea for the simple reason that he has the potential to become one of the greatest goalkeepers in the world and if United do sell him, they will possibly regret it. He is an excellent shot stopper, some of the saves he has made have been world class. I know that a few of his performances this season have been shaky but that is partially due to our defense. United's defense has been anything but strong this season and it would be enough to put any goalkeeper under immense pressure. The fact that De Gea has kept us in games singlehandedly (the match against Spurs last weekend) and the fact that he's been able to put out good performances in spite of how weak our defense is, is nothing short of incredible. 

This is not to say however that De Gea does not have his shortcomings. For one, his physique is less than ideal for a goalkeeper. Yes, he's tall alright but he needs to bulk up. He gets bullied a lot by the opposition whenever United have to deal with corners and this is one of the main reasons as to why United has conceded a lot of their goals from corners this season. He also tends to let us down in matches when it matters the most. In the Newcastle game for instance, his performance was below par. 

Despite his pros and his cons, United supporters have to realise that De Gea is only 22 years old. Since when, have we as United supporters, demanded instant success from any player? Yes, there is a certain level of expectation at one of the best clubs in the world but can this really be how spoiled we are? Since when do we demand that United sign big stars with proven experience? There are a lot of players that United have signed that none of us knew anything about, Javier Hernandez and Cristiano Ronaldo to name just two. 

Did Peter Schmeichel or Edwin van der Sar gain instant "Legend" status in their first two seasons at United? Exactly. Schmeichel, believe it or not, was not very effective in the beginning and it took VDS quite a while to adjust as well. If United had not given these two goalkeepers the time they needed to develop and adjust to the Premier League, they would have become legends elsewhere.

Let me finish off by saying that yes, we expect De Gea to do his job but placing more expectation than is necessary on him is not going to solve anything, neither is selling him. United need to give him the time he needs to develop and we as United supporters need to be patient with him.

Stats this season in the EPL:

Games:     Saves:     Clean Sheets:
15             59           3

"He's just a unique talent. Ultimately, I think they come around in cycles. Iker Casillas was 17 when he got in the Real Madrid team, I saw Gianluigi Buffon when he was 17... The qualities we've all seen, and the manager has seen, have ticked the boxes. There is always an element of 'can they handle 76,000 at Old Trafford?' but I've seen him play at the Nou Camp, man of the match. Not fazed." Manchester United goalkeeper coach Eric Steele, July 2011.