With David de Gea seemingly set for a return to Madrid with Real poised to swoop for the Spaniard, many are insisting that they should use the keeper to lure Gareth Bale back to the Premier League with a move to Old Trafford.

The world record man has suffered from an acute bout of second season syndrome this term at The Bernebau; although his stats have been reasonably good, the fans in Madrid have seemingly turned on the Welshman. It seems that Bale has been made the scapegoat for Los Blancos failure this year and United look set to test their resolve with a bid for the former Spurs man.

But is Louis van Gaal right to go after Bale? Is he what they need to turn from top four also-rans to genuine title contenders?

It was of course only last summer that United splashed the cash on a left winger from Real Madrid, Angel di Maria, who ironically had lost his place to Bale, who came to Old Trafford for a British transfer record fee. The Argentinian has struggled in Manchester but it seems silly that Van Gaal is ready to dismiss one of the great talents in European football following one mediocre season.

Di Maria’s deputy at the start of the season, Ashley Young, has also enjoyed somewhat of a resurrection and has arguably been the form left sided player in the country. Add to this the fact they have recently acquired the services of Memphis Depay from PSV, the left wing at Manchester United is certainly an area of immense strength for Van Gaal, arguably the strongest area in his squad.

Of course signing Gareth Bale would be a statement that few in Europe could match, despite what has been conceived as a poor campaign for the Welshman, he is unquestionably one of the most desired players in world football. Signing the 25 year old would confirm that United are back as one of Europe’s big boys and it will undoubtedly lift the spirit at Old Trafford.

Signing Bale seems to be more about chasing a name than chasing the players that could really improve United’s team. There are other players in the Real side that would improve them a great deal more, players like Luka Modric and Isco would both show their ambition but genuinely improve them as a side.

United are a team that need to improve their squad if they are to chase down the all-conquering Chelsea side that have won the league at a canter this season. But signing Bale doesn’t seem to be the answer to their problems.

If United are consigned to losing De Gea to Real this summer than they are well within their rights to use him as a bargaining chip to poach a Galactico, but they are focusing their attention on the wrong one. Van Gaal must recognise that United don’t really need Gareth Bale, of course world class players can be fitted in to any team; but replacing Di Maria seems a less pressing issue than replacing Phil Jones for example.

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