5 possible replacements for Angel Di Maria at Manchester United

Angel Di Maria celebrating his debut goal for Manchester United last seasonHis arrival at Manchester United last season was hailed to be one of the biggest deals pulled off by the Premier League club. Penning down a five-year contract with the Red Devils for a record British signing fee of £59.7million, Di Maria’s entry into the club was seen as the perfect silver lining that would ward off those clouds of gloom that had settled over Manchester’s renowned club since the Moyes Saga.And no higher honour could have been bestowed on him than by presenting him with the No. 7 jersey, previously worn by great names at the team such as George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, among others.Fast-forward a year later – a traumatic break-in experience, an injury-filled season and confusion over his role as part of manager Louis Van Gaal’s philosophy, meant that Di Maria decided to dissociate with the team in the most conspicuous of manners – he went missing!He failed to show up for the team’s pre-season friendly tour to the United States, causing Van Gaal to admit that he has no clue about his star player’s whereabouts. Now a mere formality away from signing a deal with Ligue 1’s Paris Saint-Germain, Di Maria’s vanishing act has left a bitter taste in the mouth of not only the team’s management and staff, but of fans from across the world.Van Gaal has sounded out a call stating that “creative players” is who he is looking for and we take a look at the top five players who can fill in this void left by Angel Di Maria.

#1 Pedro

Signing him could be a masterstroke by Manchester United

Pedro Eliezer Rodriguez Ledesma, or Pedro as he is commonly known, seems to be a deal that is most likely to go through for Manchester United. Playing as a forward or winger for the Spanish national football team and La Liga’s Barcelona, Pedro is known for his intuitive runs that creates those much needed pockets of spaces for the other players in the team.

A keen student of the game with pace on his side, it is no wonder that ex-Barca coach Pep Guardiola had this to say about him: “If Pedro was Brazilian, he’d be called Pedrinho and we wouldn’t have enough money to afford him.”

Even though his playing time for Barcelona has dropped drastically since the forming of the Holy Trinity of Messi, Suarez and Neymar, Pedro has been involved in quite a number of Messi’s goals, forming a winning bond with the striker. If the £22m deal does go forward, Manchester United may just have solved their creative midfielder woes with a player who could help a striker of Rooney’s stature come into his own again.

#2 Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale ranks among the best in the world right now and would be quite the catch for the Red Devils

The transformation of Welshman Gareth Bale from a promising winger to an all-round attacking goalscorer has been nothing short of mercurial. A match-winner by himself, he can carry the team on his strong, pacy legs if required, creating opportunities where none exist and bursting out onto the field with incomparable energy.

He is just the kind of player United would look to have in their team at a time when galvanising the squad into the Red Devils of old is the need of the hour. Given Bale’s relationship with Madrid fans despite turning in good performances time and again and the very frequently reported, apparent tension between him and Ronaldo, a move back to the Premier League, especially with Manchester United, could be a career transforming decision.

But will Rafa Benitez agree to let go of his star player, a player who he has big plans for going forward? Highly unlikely, not unless Ed Woodward can pull off one of his magical tricks yet again.

#3 Memphis Depay

A lot is already expected from this young fiery Dutch player

Why keep looking elsewhere when the answer may be staring you right in your face? Manchester United’s summer signing of PSV Eindhoven’s Memphis Depay could not have been timed better. With the player himself in stellar form – top goalscorer in the Eredivisie with 22 goals that helped PSV lift the title – the imminent departure of Di Maria means that Depay could well take up the role of providing those bursts of innovation needed in United’s midfield.

Fearless and confident, the Dutchman is a character who could well shake things up for good for the Red Devils. Along with being quick off the blocks and a smart dribbler, he is busy working on his free-kicks and his belief in himself will be his biggest strength during his debut Premier League season.

Averaging 5.4 shots per game, there is no doubt that his goal scoring abilities are what United are looking forward to seeing the most.

#4 Xherdan Shaqiri

Could the Swiss wonder Shaqiri solve Manchester United’s woes?

Though Manchester United hasn’t been linked with the Swiss ‘magic dwarf’, here’s a player who could fit in well with the team; fitting in having been a major issue for the player both at Bayern Munich and now, at Inter Milan.

Promised a major role at Inter by Mancini, Shaqiri once again found himself as a surplus member of the team receiving hardly any game time. Although reports suggest that he is looking to move to the Bundesliga again, if Stoke could attempt to sign him, a club with the financial clout and stature of Manchester United could definitely try to rope him into the Premier League.

His control of the ball, dribbling skills and tendency to cut inside is something that will do United good and with Di Maria having moved on to PSG, this is the perfect place for Shaqiri to establish his dominance.

#5 Marco Reus

Could Ed Woodward manage to pull this deal off?

This is a deal that may never see the light of day, but as the saying goes, ‘you just never know what to expect in the football transfer market’. Well, such a phrase may not exist, but it wouldn’t be hard to see why Manchester United and Van Gaal would want to steal Marco Reus from Borussia Dortmund.

And so these rumours are, thus, making the rounds. Hailed by all as one of the best European players at the moment along with link-ups with giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, Reus has a tremendous capacity to amass goals and his pace more than makes up for his seemingly shaky dribbling skills.

With the Premier League just three days away, all eyes are on Manchester United and how they will look to put this Di Maria drama behind them. Will they go a-spending again or will they develop their players into match-winners? The answers will be unearthed after the kick-off to the 2015-16 Premier League season.