Kevin Strootman: A gamble worth taking?

All Manchester United fans know that Louis Van Gaal will be officially in charge after the World Cup. We already have rumours of several Dutch players being linked to United: Jordy Clasie, Memphis Depay, Bruno Martins Indi, and Stefan de Vrij. A name we haven't heard much of is Kevin Strootman, because he is currently sidelined with a torn ACL suffered back in March. Missing the final quarter of Serie A and a guarantee of missing the World Cup means a big drop in his stock, but will he be able to come back to his best?

Although some may say it is a risk to take an injured player to Manchester United, especially needing us to pay around €18 million to secure his services, many believe he will be successful. Strootman's body figure and aggression is perfectly fitted to the Premier League. His strength, box-to-box plays, and ruthless tackles is amongst the best hard tackling defensive midfielders among the world. A mix of Paul Scholes' aggression and Yaya Toure's strength, he is basically an upgrade of the 'walking tree', Marouane Fellaini. 

For many years the Red Devils' midfield had been a never ending problem. When Fellaini was first signed, we all thought they finally had the box-to-box midfielder that the team always needed. With David Moyes managing the team, surely he could get the best out of Fellaini. Right? Wrong. Either David Moyes' tactics were so horrific that made Fellaini look really poor, or, Fellaini is simply not Manchester United level.

According to HITC SPORT, Roma are looking to sign Fredy Guarin from Inter Milan to "ease off" pressure from Strootman, at the same time fearing the possibility of Manchester United coming in for a bid for their Dutch midfielder. If willing to pay £27 million for Fellaini, why not pay almost £10 million less for a better player?

As Van Gaal looks to take Manchester United back to winning ways next season, he would definitely be looking to recruit his loyal Dutch boys. With so much experience as a manager, I am sure he will get the best out of Strootman, regardless of his injury.