8 Men Who Will Shape Man Utd's Title Challenge Next Season

7. Thomas Vermaelen

Left-back isn't the only area of concern where Manchester United are concerned. They are still yet to replace either Rio Ferdinand or Nemanja Vidic this summer, both of whom were allowed to leave the club at the end of their contracts. United simply have to sign a high-quality centre-half in the next month or so because they cannot purely rely on Phil Jones, Chris Smalling or Jonny Evans. The Red Devils have been linked with a number of centre-backs in recent weeks, including Mats Hummels, Stefan de Vrij and Thomas Vermaelen. Vermaelen would appear to be the most likely signing of that trio with Borussia Dortmund telling Louis van Gaal he can forget about signing Hummels this summer. If United sign Vermaelen, he will have a lot to prove. He was on the fringes all of last season at Arsenal and made only 14 Premier League appearances, with manager Arsene Wenger preferring a centre-back pairing of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny. Vermaelen will be looking to prove he is still capable of playing at the very highest levels and if he is still able to do so, the daunting task of replacing Ferdinand and Vidic could be made that much easier.