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Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has said that the club needs a player of the calibre of Cristiano Ronaldo if they want to challenge their rivals for top honours again as reported by the BBC. The manager has suggested that the Old Trafford outfit are looking to sign a big name player in the window.
The Dutch manager did not say that United are interested in Ronaldo in particular but admitted that the Portuguese international is the kind of player who would complete his squad.
The 63-year-old said that he understood what the United faithful feel about their former star and that they feel bringing him back would be the perfect signing.
"I can imagine that. He is a fantastic player, I like him," Van Gaal said.
"I can give examples of champions: Bayern Munich, Ribery and Robben; Chelsea, Hazard and Willian; Real Madrid, Ronaldo and Bale; Barca, Neymar and Messi. Manchester United fans want us to compete with these teams," he said as reported by the BBC.
United have already spent a lot of money in the market by signing the likes of Memphis Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin, Matteo Darmian and Sergio Romero.
Old Trafford return not likely
The manager, however, conceded that a return for Ronaldo to Old Trafford may not be possible according to a Daily Mail report. 'That’s not possible because you have the club, Ronaldo and then you have Manchester United and how much United want to spend.'
While the 63-year-old manager is keen on making a marquee signing before the window closes, he is also keen on not losing his current crop of players, notably Angel Di Maria. "We still need more speed in front and also more creativity. That is why I hope Di Maria shall stay. But we don't know that.”
Di Maria has been linked with a move to French champions Paris St Germain and was a notable absentee from Manchester United’s pre-season in the United States. The manager is happy with the players at his disposal, but feels that what the team is lacking is speed.
"Ashley Young and Juan Mata had fantastic seasons, with assists and goals but to win the Champions League you need speed also. That is why I think, maybe, we still have to buy a player with speed and creativity."
Manchester United are said to be interested in signing Barcelona winger Pedro who is a player with good speed and an eye for goal and fits the description of the type of player Van Gaal needs as they look to seriously mount a challenge for trophies next season.
