Rumour: Manchester United eye stylish Italian defender to replace Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic

David Moyes flew to Italy to watch Juventus defeat Cagliari 4-1 on Sunday afternoon, as several players the Manchester United boss has been linked with showcased their talents.

Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal and Cagliari defender Davide Astori were reportedly (The Mirror) the focus of Moyes’ attention during the scouting trip, with the Scot looking to bolster his under-performing ranks. Vidal, with eight goals to his name along with 35 chances created, could be the answer to United’s lack of creativity in the final third while Astori would be a good addition to the heart of the defence.

Meanwhile, another man that Moyes has been rumoured to be interested in is Claudio Marchisio, who would have surely impressed the Old Trafford boss with a long range strike that secured all three points for the Old Lady.

Moyes had originally planned to travel to Spain to see Getafe’s attacking midfielder Saul Niquez in action against Rayo Vallecano but changed his plans at the last minute and headed to Italy. Instead, first team coach Phil Neville travelled to watch the Spanish Under-21 international.

With Arsenal and Chelsea also interested in the 19 year-old Moyes is eager to tie up a deal for the highly rated youngster. Neville would also have glanced an eye over the performance of Rayo’s defender Alex Galvez, who Borussia Dortmund tried to sign in the summer.

While United were accused of stagnating in the summer transfer window, those mistakes will clearly not be made again as Moyes and his staff are committed to travelling to see their targets in the flesh when their schedule allows it.

Astori has won 60% of his tackles, and has a pass accuracy of 85%.

Here’s an HD photo of David Moyes in the Sant Elia stands to watch Cagliari Juve. pic.twitter.com/JxJ2da9rzj

— Matteo Bonetti (@TheCalcioGuy) January 12, 2014