3. Granit Xhaka (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Dubbed
"the young Schweinsteiger" by national team manager Ottmar Hitzfeld, the 21 year old Swiss will be familiar to a lot of Manchester United fans - he was part of the FC Basel side who knocked them out of the 2011/2012 Champions League with a comfortable 2-1 home win. Having impressed hugely during his time at FC Basel, a host of top European clubs were thought to be chasing his signature. His chief concern was the amount of first team football he would play at a larger club, and in the summer of 2012 he put pen to paper with Borussia Mönchengladbach for an undisclosed fee (
believed to be 8.5 million). At a hair over 6ft tall, and weighing in at just under 13st, he's a very physical midfield presence - his ability to hold off opponents and battle his way out of a tight space, whilst also being able to press and win the ball back, make him an excellent defensive option. He excels at reading the game, having made 22 interceptions in 10 league appearances so far this season, and he has won 22 out of 24 attempted tackles. His dribbling ability is not to be overlooked, he has successfully taken the ball past an opposition player in 12 out of 16 attempts, meaning he has the ability to drive the play forward with his running ability in a manner similar to that of Moussa Dembélé and Jack Wilshere something severely lacking in the United midfield, where Michael Carrick currently leads with 3 attempted dribbles. He has a sweet left foot, and his passing ability is extremely impressive - averaging 88% pass completion in his 10 league appearances - and he often looks to switch the play from the centre of the park to one of the flanks in a similar manner to that of Paul Scholes. He has created 12 chances for his team mates so far this season, including one assist and 11 key passes. His major shortfall is a lack of goals, but his ability to create chances for others somewhat outweighs that. He is a true box-to-box player with incredible physical strength, the ability to both dribble and pass and would provide much needed energy and protection in the United Engine room. He's contracted until 2017, however, which could be problematic. That being said, Xhaka isn't involved in European football with his club this season, and would be available to play in the Champions League, which may serve as enough incentive for United to make a bid.