During the last day of the January transfer window, many Manchester United fans expected the signing of at least one more player; apart from the record transfer of Juan Mata. Various rumors mentioned the club was in talk with Nicolas Otamendi from Porto and Toni Kroos from Bayern Munich, but at the end of the transfer deadline none of them arrived at Old Trafford.
There is a sentiment that fans are unhappy that no more players were signed considering the poor season the team has had. However, even with just the incorporation of Mata, the team has a lot of payer depth, and fans should see the positive in that.
David Moyes has many options to rotate and combine his players in upcoming matches. In the back line, Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones offer possibilities as center backs, which means that Moyes can give rest time to Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, when they come back in contention for the starting XI.
Rafael is the first choice on right back and the same stands for Patrice Evra on the left. And, while the Brazilian has competition with Antonio Valencia, Smalling and Jones (all of those players can play as right back), his twin brother Fabio (who plays as left back) has left the club and signed a contract with Cardiff. This is a very strange decision for Manchester United, since the only reserve for Evra is the young and lightly inexperienced Buttner.
In the midfield options are even better; Jones has established himself as a first choice pick as defensive midfielder so the only dilemma for Moyes is to pick his partner. Tom Cleverly and Darren Fletcher are two contenders for this position, while Michael Carrick and Marouane Felaini are still not in perfect shape due to injuries. On the wings, Valencia is the first choice on the right, while Januzaj (left wing) will have to accept a bench role for upcoming fixtures. On the left side of the pitch, Ashley Young and Mata will contend for a place in the Starting XI. In this race, the Spanish player will most likely be a first choice pick.
The arrival of Mata at Old Trafford also caused one more move away from United. Last season, young Wilfried Zaha was the best player in The Championship; however, since he arrived at Old Trafford this 2013-2014 season, he was unable to demonstrate any of the talent which in first place convinced Sir Alex Ferguson to sign him. Now, Zaha has been loaned to Cardiff, where he will undeniably have more playing time.
At the front, the situation is very obvious after Ruben Van Persie and Wayne Rooney returned from injuries last week. They are both nailed in as starters, which means that other forwards like Danny Wellbeck and Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez will have to wait for their chance as substitutes.
Analyzing all these names, it is evident that the Red Devils have a highly talented team with a lot of depth in every single position. That shows that although only one player was signed during the Winter transfer period, Moyes has the weapons necessary to begin the tough battle of finishing within the top 4 in the Premier League.
