10 Reasons Why It's All Going Wrong For Louis Van Gaal At Man Utd

4. An Abysmal Midfield

Manchester United's midfield is abysmal and consists of players who would struggle to crack Mansfield's starting XI. The likes of Tom Cleverley, Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young are not United quality and have no business being anywhere near the starting line-up. In Sunday's clash with Sunderland, Valencia's crossing was atrocious with the Ecuadorian sending in a series of hospital passes while Cleverley could only muster potshots from wayward angles that sailed harmlessly into the crowd. Young was similarly ineffectual as well, and we haven't even mentioned the players who didn't play, such as Marouane Fellaini and Anderson. In the centre of the park United are completely bereft of creativity while on the wing there's no flair or imagination. Last season, United's four wingers - Young, Wilfried Zaha, Valencia and Nani - managed only four goals between them while summer target Angel di Maria achieved that tally on his own. There's little questioning United desperately need Di Maria and his goals because right now their midfield lacks any kind of spark - particularly in the wide areas. The Reds also need a new central midfielder as well, someone of the ilk of Arturo Vidal, because there's no industry in their engine room and if these problems are allowed to continue going unchecked, United are going to carry on huffing and puffing this season.