Talented Gaitan the man to fill Di Maria void at United?

According to reports, Benfica winger Nicolas Gaitan is in negotiations for a possible move to the Premier League side this summer.

The 27-year-old Argentine, who knows Angel di María very well from the national side has been linked with Manchester United on numerous occasions since 2012. Gaitan’s representative Jose Irribaren has stated:  “Everything is possible, there is a deal with Manchester United. The will of the player is that everything goes well.”

If the deal for Nicolas Gaitan goes through, he would become Manchester United’s fifth signing of the summer after sealing deals with Depay, Darmian, Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger.

A capable, exciting player

Gaitan possesses many qualities such as the ability to play with both feet, ball control in tight spaces and an array of silky skills. Gaitan joining United would seem like a weird transfer on the surface. Despite his noticeable talents, Manchester United has already signed a gifted winger in Depay for a transfer fee of £25 million pounds.

Also, the Red Devils have already got plenty of squad depth in that position – with Juan Mata and Ashley Young all able to play in his position. So if he does sign for the club, it would consequently mean he has to be prepared to fight for a place in the starting line-up, which could prove to be difficult for him with fierce competition for places.

But Gaitan had an impressive campaign for Benfica last season. In the Portuguese Primeira Liga, he played 27 matches netting four goals and notching up an impressive 15 assists. Gaitan’s main position is on the left wing, but he can also play on the right-hand side and in a more advanced attacking midfield role.

Since his move from Boca Juniors, Gaitan has consistently recorded double figures with The Eagles in the league stamping his reputation as one of Europe’s best wingers.

What could he bring to the table?

Gaitan can bring many benefits to the style of Manchester United’s play. Although he normally plays wide, he can also work effectively in a central role and is known for the accuracy of his through balls,

One of United’s problems last season was limited creativity and too many long balls up to Marouane Fellaini, which only paid off infrequently.

One big weakness to Gaitan’s game is him a lack of tracking back. In Louis van Gaal’s game plan, he expects every player – regardless of their position – to cover their defensive duties well. This has been shown on many occasions with Juan Mata and Ashley Young working until the last second of the game, especially when the team lose the ball in the middle of the pitch.

So if this part of his game does not improve, it’d be unlikely that van Gaal would risk  being hit on the counter-attack through his defensive naievety.

Gaitan currently has a contract with the Portuguese giants until the summer of 2018, and has a buy-out clause of €35 million euros (£25m) which should not deter Manchester United.

Asif Norat writes for the football site o-posts.com  about everything and anything related to the beautiful game