Man Utd Transfers: 10 Former Players Van Gaal Must Bring With Him

3. Cheick Tiote - Newcastle United

The Ivorian enforcer might not have enjoyed a very good 2012/13, as almost comical errors crept into his game following an exceptional first two seasons for Newcastle after signing from FC Twente, but 2013/14 has seen a marked improvement in his game, particularly in his maturity on the ball. In previous years - especially last year - the defensive midfielder would be caught catastrophically short on the edge of his own box, intent on taking on too many players, and he picked up a lot of criticism for it from fans, but that seems to have been stamped out more recently. The player signed for FC Twente when Van Gaal was in charge in 2008, after impressing as a youngster at Roda, and went on to become part of the bed-rock of the Dutch side's impressive assault on the league alongside Mousa Dembele, now of Spurs. He is a combative player to say the least, having typically excelled in games against United (aside from the latest), and though his tendency to shoot from 40 yards (with a single pay-off, and another wrongly disallowed as the only justification) remains a blight on his reputation. He would add tenacity and a strong base to United's midfield, which would be necessary if they add a number of attacking players, and if he can be trained to chip in with the 14 assists he managed at Twente, he would be an asset.