Five Players Who Should Be Shortlisted

With Louis Van Gaal leaving the beaches of Brazil for the Theatre of Dreams in the next few days, it is likely that we are to be seeing some more transfer activity from the United camp. The board have shown we have money to spend by purchasing Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw for a large sum of cash.

Here's the five players I think should be on our radar:

1. Arturo Vidal

Until the signing of Herrera, United hadn't signed a central midfielder in six years. Although Michael Carrick has been essential in the last few years, he is nearing the later stages of his career. Vidal has played at the highest level with his current club (Juventus) and gave an impressive display at this years World Cup with Chile. It will cost a lot of money to get him, but United need someone that will fill the void that was left from players such as Paul Scholes and Roy Keane.

2. Mats Hummels

Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand have both left over the summer, leaving just Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Johnny Evans as the remaining centre backs at Old Trafford. Due to the signing of Luke Shaw, it seems Patrice Evra is about to join Vidic in Italy, which leaves United with a lack of experience at the back. We are in desperate need of a leader. Someone to organise and inspire his defensive partners. Hummels has proved to be that man for Borussia Dortmund and Germany.

3. Juan Cuadrado

It was frustrating to watch the performances our wingers gave last year. Besides Adnan Januzaj, we didn't see much flair or creativity. Ashley Young, Antonia Valencia and Luis Nani all underachieved and now would be a good time to provide them with more competition for a starting spot. Cuadrado displayed his qualities well at the World Cup with Columbia and was precise in the final third of the pitch. Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie would relish having a player of his ability providing the supply.

4. Ross Barkley

It's astonishing that Barkley has avoided transfer speculation this summer. After an outstanding burst onto the scene last season, the English midfielder has become one of the most talked about youngsters in the country. Manchester United could be appealing for Barkley, with their tendencies of putting faith into young players, and he wouldn't be the first young Englishman to trade the Everton blues for the reds of United. What amazes me is that David Moyes had seen the potential Barkley had during his reign at Everton, yet opted for Marouane Fellaini instead...

5. Toni Kroos

I hate to sound like a broken record but I stand by Paul Scholes with this one. Toni Kroos is one of the best midfielders in the world right now. It is understood that he will depart from Bayern Munich in the near future and that Real Madrid are favourites to sign him. United should do all they can to lure in his services. The boy has everything you could ask for!

There's my shortlist then. You may notice that all these players have featured at the World Cup. That's because, despite not having Champions League football this season, we are Manchester United and should still be looking to bring in the best players from around the world. With a man like Van Gaal at the helm who has quality players like the ones listed above, I have no doubt that we will be back on the path to success.

Do you have any other players that you feel should be on this list? Di Maria? De Vrij? Reus? Let me know what you think.