Since the arrival of Memphis Depay on May 7th, this transfer window has been pretty uneventful for Manchester United. There’s been plenty of talk about David de Gea and Sergio Ramos. Also, we’ve had a little chatter about Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Harry Kane, Arda Turan, Angel Di Maria, Robin van Persie and a handful of goalkeepers that would potentially replace De Gea, but nothing definitive has happened; until Monday when Nani left for Fenerbache.
So the next move is Matteo Darmian? Who saw that coming?
The Italian media are claiming this morning that the right back will be heading to Old Trafford soon. Sky Italia suggests Torino have agreed to sell their prized defender for 18m euros ($19.74m). Sky Sports describes Darmian as “a versatile defender who is capable of playing in either full-back spot, though his favored position is on the right, but also has experience at center-half and at 6ft tall offers a strong aerial presence.”
United could obviously use some help at the back line; the unit struggled mightily in the first half of the season before later showing some consistency. A lot of the defense’s struggles were due to the rash of injuries within the position group; which reached levels of absurdity at various points. There were times when Louis van Gaal truly had to play a patchwork lineup; which square pegs in round holes.
If Darmian is something special than he would certainly be a welcome addition. ESPN FC did a post entitled “Who is Matteo Darmian?” echoing a sentiment that some of us felt when we first heard that he was being targeted. It has a video.
There are various reports indicating that a Matteo Darmian signing would foreshadow the end of Rafael’s career at Old Trafford.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.