Manchester United's record signing Angel Di Maria is set to leave the club after less than 12 months, with French giants Paris Saint-Ger...
It was interesting that in his sit-down interview with the English media on Sunday that Louis van Gaal confirmed he is searching for a truly creative player to add to his squad.
This is where the Di Maria situation has become a source of incredible frustration for the Dutchman.
The criteria laid out by Van Gaal was almost an exact description of Di Maria's playing style and there is believed to be a frustration within the club that he is unwilling to stay another season in Manchester to try and recapture his Real Madrid form.
There were also telling words on Ashley Young from the manager, 'You can expect things from Ashley Young.
He had a fantastic season. But he is not a Neymar and we have to compete with that'.
Pedro of FC Barcelona is one of the club's main targets although this is not believed to be linked to Di Maria's eventual exit.
The Spaniard has been identified as a target to strengthen United's forward line if the club are able to get a £22m deal over the line.
However this still leaves Van Gaal with a gap left by Di Maria and Gary Neville believes it is one which must be filled, 'United have done good business this summer on signings and value. Have to be careful letting ADM go without an equal coming in first though.'
This is where the problem lies. Is there an Di Maria equal available on the market in this transfer window? Arguably not, but there are a number of players whom United could target to fill the void and hopefully develop into as important a player for United as the likes of Hazard and Neymar are for Chelsea and Barcelona respectively.
Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid is a player of interest to many of Europe's biggest teams with Chelsea and Bayern Munich having tentatively enquired about his services at the beginning of this summer. The Frenchman enjoyed a productive first season in Madrid however he did not set the Calderon alight as many expected.
He is a supremely gifted, creative presence from either a wide or a central position and is adept as a centre-forward, something which has caught the eye of Jose Mourinho and would fit Van Gaal's 'multi-functional' policy. Griezmann is quick on the ball and able to make things happen however his £43million buy-out clause is restrictive and it is difficult to argue he is at a level where a club would be right to pay such a sum.
Griezmann did scored 22 La Liga goals last term and has the potential to reach the level set by Hazard.
There would be work to be done and his flamboyant style could be a potential flash point with Van Gaal but the talent is there to replace Di Maria.
Lucas Moura at PSG is an outstanding footballer whose game is built on speed and creativity.
TheBrazilian almost signed for United during the 2012 Olympic Games before PSG structured a deal better suited to Sao Paulo at the eleventh hour.
Lucas has refined his game somewhat
since then although has yet to truly hit his
full potential with the system at PSG a
difficult fit for him. Di Maria's arrival is
only going to make this harder for him
and it may well be that United could take
advantage and finally get their man.
Lucas scored seven Ligue 1 goals last term
and contributed five assists and when you
look at his style there is the possibility he
could be a Neymar figure for United. At
22-years-old there is a of developing left
for him to do and Van Gaal could be the
perfect coach to refine his style further
and make him a more consistently
effective player rather than relying on the
occasional burst of brilliance.
Marco Reus is a player who very few have
talked about this transfer window. Signing
a contract extension with Dortmund last
season eliminating his low release clause
was seen as a hugely important gesture
and there is little evidence to say he is
available this summer. However United
have the finance to structure a deal and
Dortmund's resolve could be tested.
Reus is a fantastically creative player, has
excellent stats over the past three
seasons and would be a perfect fit in a
Van Gaal due to his ability to work hard in
all areas for the team. Reus is probably
closest to Di Maria in terms of where he is
now as a player out of the three players
mentioned although there is a feeling any
movement in Reus future will spark Real
Madrid into action.
Last term Reus still scored seven goals
and added five assists in an injury hit
campaign.
United have just over a month left to
secure a creative signing and it may well
not happen. The market for such a player
isn't vast however United do have a lot of
money spend and it seems Van Gaal is
determined to replace Di Maria relatively
quickly.
