Man Utd should sign Lucas Moura & João Moutinho to bolster midfield

United need a bit Moura Lucas

Speculation has been linking Manchester United to all sorts of midfield reinforcements this summer – but it is Lucas Moura that piques the interest most.

Ever since Cristiano Ronaldo departed Old Trafford to pursue his dream at Real Madrid, the level of creativity when United have taken to the pitch has been more reminiscent of a nightmare.

Of course they have won the Premier League and the Carling Cup as well as reaching a Champions League final since Ronaldo left for sunny Spain but the football has been frankly dreadful by United’s standards.

They might have run City all the way to the final minute last season but United have been perfunctory at best for the last three years, devoid of the kind of attacking brilliance that has been the hallmark of Sir Alex Ferguson’s great teams.

Wayne Rooney has sparkled intermittently but you get the feeling he is doing it all on his own sometimes – how he would love to have someone like Ronaldo to link up with again.

Well, if reports are to be believed that United have sent a delegation to Sao Paulo to tie up a deal for 19-year-old Samba sensation Lucas Moura, then Rooney might just be in luck.

The kid looks like he could be utterly phenomenal – just as raw and precocious as Ronaldo when he was plucked as a teenager from Sporting Lisbon.

It is great to see Ferguson keeping United successful on very limited resources, but every single fan of the club would be lying if they said they did not want to see a bit more excitement and magic.

Moura could be the perfect addition – £30m is a lot to pay but the fact he is so young would surely entice the Glazers to splash out, because that price tag can only go up – and we the United owners love a bit of “resale value”.

United still need to find a ball-playing midfielder to help them retain possession but Moura could be the little injection of stardust that Old Trafford is desperate to see.

Moutinho the man to save United

Ferguson is reportedly targeting Porto’s dynamic midfielder João Moutinho – and he would be worth every penny of the £20m fee – especially if we can offload the capricious Anderson.

It was back in 2007 when Ferguson strengthened the middle of the park – a year after signing Michael Carrick, Nani, Owen Hargreaves and Anderson were plucked from foreign fields and led United to domestic and European glory.

Three central midfielders in two years plus the emergence of Darren Fletcher and Ji Sung Park, plus the exciting duo of Nani and Ronaldo. And Carlos Tévez was also added into the mix.

This is what United need now – the 19-time English champions need an influx, and Moutinho would lead the cavalry charge against City next season.

His skill and passing range would oust Carrick from his comfy position and would eventually lead to the final demise of Paul Scholes.

He guided his side to the Europa League, Portuguese League and Portuguese Cup in 2011 and met with Porto president Nuno Pinto da Costa earlier this month to request a transfer.

Moussa Dembele, in his final year of his Fulham contract, would also bolster the midfield.

This combo would be the equivalent of Yaya Toure and David Silva – a marriage of brute force and lofty skill embarrassingly shown to be missing from the United outfit of last season.

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Read more on: Joao Moutinho, Lucas Moura, Manchester United, Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson.