Former United winger Jules Maiorana gives his opinion on how the season has gone and who the club should sign this summer.
This season has seen plenty of talk about philosophies and style of play but Jules maintains that a top four finish is the priority for United as well as being patient with the manager: “You hear a lot of United supporters grumbling about the way they’ve been playing football, but if they qualify for the Champions League that’s a successful season in my eyes.
“It was always going to be hard for Louis Van Gaal but he’s got a tremendous amount of clout because of what he’s done at clubs like Bayern Munich and Barcelona. If United didn’t give him time then I don’t think there would be much hope for any manager out there.
“I’ve watched a few of the games this season, mainly the ones where they weren’t playing well but were winning and to be fair I think that’s what Chelsea do. The most important thing is to win and Van Gaal is still relatively new at the club. Get this season out of the way, qualify for the Champions League and next season try and play better football.”
Fans have been disappointed with the form of Angel Di Maria and Falcao this season and Jules thinks they could both leave Old Trafford this summer: “They were talking about Di Maria on the radio during the West Brom game and saying that he wasn’t having a great game.
“In games like that top players should be able to turn the game on its head more often than not with a bit of magic. That’s what great players do, I think Di Maria on his day is superb but you don’t see it enough. I’ve always said that about him even when he was at Real Madrid or playing in the World Cup for Argentina.
“For him to begin to justify the fee they paid for him he needs to start playing with more consistency, I think he went to United for the money because he couldn’t get the move he wanted and he could be on his way this summer.
“Falcao is another one, I think his agent told him to go to United for a year and fill up his wallet before moving somewhere else this summer.”
There is growing concern regarding the future of David De Gea with transfer rumours swirling almost daily in the press. Jules thinks that the Spaniard could be another one to leave the club but insists it is vital that United do everything they can to keep him: “De Gea could go as well, he’s Spanish and if you were Spanish who would you rather play for, Real Madrid or Manchester United? The stories in the media change all the time and you can’t really believe any of it.
“He’s been great for United this season and if there’s one player you don’t want to lose then it’s him. For me he’s been the best player for United this season and you might be able to get rid of some players and bring others in but when you have a goalkeeper that good there isn’t many who could fill his boots.”
On who United should sign this summer, Jules says: “I think Gareth Bale would be a great signing and would be much better than Di Maria. He would cost a lot of money but he’s been brought up in the Premier League. I think a centre-back has to be on the list as well and definitely another midfielder.”
Going into next season, Jules thinks United could push for the runners-up spot but =thinks Chelsea will win the league again: “Chelsea are the team to beat at the moment and I think they’re going to win it again next season. United could push for second because City are very up and down, Arsenal are a decent team but a couple of players short of winning the league and Liverpool usually buckle but the thing is with Chelsea is they’ve got Mourinho which is a massive thing. Not many managers can say that they’ve done what he has achieved and I think he’ll win it again next season.”
