Is Cesc Fabregas the answer to Manchester United's midfield woes?

Cesc Fabregas

It’s that time of the year again when Manchester United fans demand the signing of a blockbuster centre midfielder, a demand that Sir Alex Ferguson has ignored for years. He even brought Paul Scholes out of retirement in 2012 (no complaints there) to salvage his midfield conundrum. But, David Moyes is in charge now and he’s set his sights on Cesc Fabregas.

Ever since Ed Woodward, vice-chairman of United left Australia halfway through United’s preseason tour to complete “urgent Business”, the rumour mills haven’t stopped.

What Fabregas brings to Manchester United

David Moyes needs to show the world that he will not live under Sir Alex’s shadow and that he means business. Signing a player like Fabregas accomplishes that.

Also, not since the 02-03 season when Paul Scholes used to play in a more advanced role, has a United midfielder scored more than 10 goals in the Premier league. Fabregas is more than capable of playing in an advanced midfielder’s role and score the goals, while he is equally capable of playing in a deep playmaker’s position in case of an injury to Michael Carrick.

Is he worth all this trouble?

This saga has been going on for a couple of weeks now and doesn’t look like it’s going to end any time soon. Rumours of a third bid in the region of £35 million have appeared in the past few days. Very few people reckon Fabregas will leave his beloved Barcelona, especially since he tried so hard to get there from Arsenal. So Moyes will have to pull out all stops to convince Fabregas.

Assuming Wayne Rooney stays at United, a lot of shake-up might be needed in case Fabregas comes. Sir Alex has stated repeatedly that Kagawa would need a season to adjust to the rigours of the Premier League and that he would be much better in his second season. Bringing in Fabregas would give Moyes a few headaches regarding starting XI’s.

What other options does Moyes have?

Announcing the failed bids may prove to be a big mistake for Moyes. This wasn’t how things were done under Sir Alex. If he wanted a player, everything that needed to be done, would happen behind closed doors, far away from the media’s glare. In case the pursuit of Fabregas ends in failure, Moyes will be left red-faced and may have to look at some alternatives.

• Luka Modric

The ex-Tottenham star has endured an indifferent season at Real Madrid. While not used to playing in the attacking midfield role, his arrival could go some way in filling the void created by Paul Scholes’ retirement. He would be available for around the same price as Fabregas.

• Maroune Felliani

Moyes knows all about him from his time at Everton. He is capable of scoring goals as well as use his physical presence in the centre of the park. It is rumoured that he has a release clause of £22 million and at the age of 26, he is probably at the peak of his career.

• Arturo Vidal

It takes some effort to outperform Andrea Pirlo but that’s exactly what Vidal has done the previous season. Juventus’ fans’ player of the season had an excellent campaign last time around scoring 13 times. But it would take an impressive bid for Juventus to part with him.

• Nobody

I know this isn’t what most United fans want but it might make sense to have faith in the current squad. Tom Cleverley has begun to deliver good performances and as mentioned earlier, Kagawa might become as a big an influence to the team as he was at Borussia Dortmund where he won consecutive league titles. Youngsters like Adnan Januzag and Jesse Lingard have impressed in the pre-season and have the potential to become world class players.