Claudio Marchisio can be Man United’s new Roy Keane

Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio has been linked with a move to Manchester United for £24million, and for David Moyes, this would be a steal. Man Utd are certainly looking at central midfielders at the moment. Of the five options profiled here, most noticeable are Marouane Fellaini of Moyes’s former club Everton for £24million and Cesc Fabregas of Barcelona for £40million. Marchisio at £24million would be a better deal.

With Marchisio, Man Utd would be getting a midfielder in the same mould as Roy Keane and Bryan Robson. It’s a role they haven’t really filled since Keane left, with both Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves looking like the solution but suffering illness and injury respectively. It’s a big comparison but looking at what he has won at Juventus – Serie A two times, Serie B once, Supercoppa Italiana once and his achievements with Italy as part of the team which came runners up in the Euro 2012 – the comparison is fair.

He is a proven winner and leader. He provides drive and industry, and Juventus have taken on his personna with great success. As a midfielder, Marchisio has shown he can be deployed as either a central box to box player or positioning himself just behind the forwards in attack and sitting in the wing back role when defending. His versatility and defensive responsibility makes him a complete presence and influence in central midfield. He’s a tough leader and his team mates take on this characteristic.

Marchisio is in the Roy Keane mould when he has to drag the team up and get them to perform and get a result. With his endless running power, Marchisio creates plenty of opportunities for the forwards and doesn’t let opposing midfielders have time on the ball when his team are not in possession. He leads the high intensity Juventus pressing system. In the Bryan Robson role, he shows commitment and a need to win attitude which forces players around him to up their game.

Marchisio has been impressive throughout the season which makes him a better option for Moyes than Fellaini and Fabregas. His relentless consistency contrasts to Fellani’s dips in form and discipline and Fabregas having been played out of position or stuck on the bench. Moyes will need consistent performers for his new regime, and with a player like Marchisio in his team, this will bring out the best in Tom Cleverley and Phil Jones in midfield and provide Robin Van Persie with the space he needs to be devastating in front of goal.

Danny Welbeck, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young and Shinji Kagawa would be able to learn a lot from Marchisio and make themselves come up to his level. He would add competition for places, which always brings out the best in the players who show the willingness to succeed. He doesn’t give players a choice but to pursue improvement personally and as a team. United have a group of players that had more talent to explore and he will drag it out of them.

Marchisio’s toughness and drive are not characteristics shared by the rest of the United central midfielders and this makes him an ideal David Moyes player.