Man Utd Transfers: 10 Signings To Ensure Premier League Glory

8. Kevin Strootman

Strootman has long been a favourite of Man Utd manager Louis Van Gaal€™s. During his reign as the Netherlands manager, Van Gaal went as a far as to say, €œNobody is untouchable or guaranteed a place in the team except Robben, Van Persie and Strootman. They are in a special position. The others will have to prove themselves.€ Even further showing his support for Strootman, LVG made him the national team€™s youngest captain since 1907 when he handed the then-22 year old midfielder the armband in a 2012 win over Andorra. Since arriving at Old Trafford last summer, Louis Van Gaal has been regularly linked with a move for Roma€™s Strootman. The big issue with the player, though, is his injury record. Strootman missed the 2014 World Cup after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee when playing for the Giallorossi against Napoli in March. After returning in November, he then did further damage to his left knee in a game against Fiorentina, resulting in him likely to be ruled out for the rest of the season. In terms of style of play, Strootman is a no-nonsense midfielder in the mould of Roy Keane and there€™s no question that he would be a brilliant addition to the Utd starting line-up if he can prove his fitness, but that€™s a big if at this stage. Signing Strootman would be a massive risk, but this wouldn't be the first time that Utd signed a Dutchman after a career-threatening injury, mind. Ruud van Nistelrooy, anybody?
Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.