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Countless transfer windows over the last few years passed without Manchester United seriously strengthening their midfield, the area most fans would outline as their weakest.
Sir Alex Ferguson continuously seemed to get away with it. Reinforcements in the middle may not have been forthcoming often enough for United fans, but titles did. In the end, that is what really counts.
Nevertheless, the prayers of supporters looked set to be answered finally last summer as their pursuits of Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas and Thiago Alcantara were virtually common knowledge.
What some failed to take into account was that players may opt to reject their interest. Thiago looked a likely arrival until Pep Guardiola stole him from under United’s nose, while Fabregas’ flirting appeared to just be an attempt to make Barcelona more appreciative of his abilities.
In the end, the ‘midfield saviour’ sent to reignite United was Marouane Fellaini and following an injury-plagued start at Old Trafford, the club’s whopping £27 million has missed more games than he has played.
Now, with Michael Carrick ruled out for another month and Fellaini still a couple of weeks from a return, United look particularly short in the middle yet again. They cannot even call upon rarely-dependable Anderson.
Instead, numerous reports have suggested manager David Moyes will make a move for Inter’s Fredy Guarin, who could provide United with the impetus and bite they need.
Guarin thrives in a box-to-box role. A poor man’s Arturo Vidal, if you will.
Guarin Pass Accuracy – Serie A 2013/14While his 70% passing accuracy seems alarmingly low for a central midfielder, the fact 65.8 per cent of them are aimed forward hints at a more attack-minded, risk-taking nature.
An immediate counter-argument for this would be to point out that even the much-maligned Tom Cleverley’s forward pass percentage is 62.4, but what really highlights Guarin’s offensive tendencies is that he has created 27 goal-scoring chances in Serie A so far this term. Compare that to the English midfielder’s seven.
Guarin Chances Created (Pitch View) – Serie A 2013/14Only Wayne Rooney with 40 has a better record for United in the Premier League, while their central midfielder with the most chances created is Michael Carrick. He has laid on 14 opportunities to team-mates.
What United really lack is a midfielder who is not only comfortable on the ball, but who is willing to take on his man and drive forward. Such ability comes naturally to Guarin, who has attempted 106 take-ons.
A total of 56 (53%) have been successful and out of the United players who have tried more than 15 themselves, only Rooney, Nani and Robin van Persie boast higher averages.
He has the attacking nous, but also refuses to shirk the less glamorous side of the game. With 75, Patrice Evra is the sole United player to have attempted more tackles than Guarin (60), 45% of which were successful.
Guarin Duel Success – Serie A 2013/14By no means is Guarin a replacement for Roy Keane or Paul Scholes. Players of such calibre may be beyond them this month, but he is an improvement on what they currently have.
With the 27-year-old reportedly available for £10m and not cup-tied in the Champions League, United would be foolish to not make a move.
