Moyes confident in high-risk transfer game

Indeed, it is 50 days before the summer transfer window closes and Moyes is still likely to recruit long-term target Eziquiel Garay inside the month. United scouts watched the Argentinian defender, now plying his trade at Benfica, on numerous occasions last season, with the player’s decision to join Jorge Mendes’s Gestifute agency working in favour of a £17 million move.

The former Real Madrid stopper appeared just 25 times for the Bernabeu side before a £5 million transfer to the Portuguese capital in summer 2011, and any future move to Old Trafford will be complicated by an intricate ownership structure. Garay is part-owned by Real, Benfica and the Benfica Stars Fund investment fund.

Mendes has a chequered history with United having brought Nani, Anderson and Bébé to Old Trafford, although he may be forgiven that triumvirate if another client, David de Gea, continues to progress in the coming season.

Another defender, Leighton Baines, will join if United press on with a £12 million bid for the 28-year-old English left-back.

Elsewhere Moyes may well seek to bring in another winger, with Nani still likely to leave the club this summer, Ashley Young rarely fit and Bébé an embarrassing failure most in the Old Trafford hierarchy would rather forget.

Ezequiel Garay

And in all this, the Wayne Rooney farce is no nearer to being resolved, with a tetchy Moyes berating the travelling media for asking another slew of questions about the 28-year-old striker on Friday. That neither manager nor player have been able to confirm the Scouser’s commitment to United’s cause remains the headline story this summer.

Moyes will at least take heart from the positive contributions of both Wilfried Zaha and youngster Adnan Januzaj in United’s defeat on Saturday. Not that the youngsters are likely to bridge the gap to the very best in Europe if that is indeed United’s ambition this summer.

“Wilfried did well,” said Moyes. “He gave us a little bit of something different.

“We have brought him here to give him a chance. It is the first time I have worked with him and had a chance to see him up close. He will certainly be part of the squad and we will see where we can fit him in as often as we can.

“(Januzaj) was a plus for us. He played well. It is always good when you give a young player a chance and he shows up. He did that tonight. The more he plays like that the more opportunities he is likely to get.”

Yet, the Thai loss will do little to quell a growing thirst to reinforce this summer, although expectations will of course be tempered given the squad has benefited from around a week’s training to date.

The Reds move on to Sydney for the second in a seven fixture pre-season, but supporters will be watching the rumour mill as much as the on-pitch action. After all, Thiago’s decision to move elsewhere will be forgotten posthaste once the next bright young thing hits the back pages.

Whether Moyes lands his man is another question altogether.