Manchester United - One more signing?

An opening weekend defeat is a bitter pill to swallow, but Manchester United fans should hope it acts as a reminder to their manager that all is not well in the centre of the park.

They were dominated by Marouane Fellaini and co. and even if Michael Carrick was in the centre of midfield rather than central defence, it is unlikely they would have been able to match the Belgian's power and influence.

It is no new problem for United, they may be able to get by nine times out of 10 without a box-to-box midfielder who is not afraid to put a tackle in, but every so often and usually when it matters they will be exposed.

It happened last season, in the Champions League, Premier League, and even in the Europa League. Monday's defeat to Everton highlighted the fact that nothing has changed and nothing has been done to address the problem.

Signing Robin van Persie was an amazing piece of business, but few United fans are convince he solves the actual problem with the team, which dates back years to a failure to properly replace Roy Keane. This is no reactionary piece to Monday. The game only highlighted the problem which has long existed, which the club failed to address last summer, and are in danger of doing again this year.

So the question is now having signed a new goalscorer, a playmaker in Shinji Kagawa, and a back-up at left-back in Alexander Buttner, do United have one more transfer left in them?

They are clearly in the market for a midfielder if they feel the right player comes along, as their public pursuit of Lucas Moura showed. They were also reported at one stage to have bid for Luka Modric but were given short shrift by Tottenham.

But neither Modric or Moura are really what United need, they rather need somebody who is more of a battler in the middle of the park, who can do the work and allow the creative players like Cleverley and Kagawa to get on with supplying the front line.

If they are to go for it, they will have to spend big. If they are looking at buying in the Premier League, then their attentions could turn to the very man who put them to the sword on Monday night, Marouane Fellaini. The big Belgian is reported to have a £26 million release clause in his contract. United would be advised to test that out.

Newcastle lynchpin Cheik Tiote is another such target, who would cost a similar amount. But it is hard to dismiss that he would be value for money, and would help United gain a foothold in games which they have been brushed aside in.

Sir Alex Ferguson, believed to be taken with Barcelona's approach, may not agree that Fellaini and Tiote are the right mould for how he wants his team to play his football. So if he wants a different type of midfielder, a quick and neat passer of the ball, Moussa Dembele is an option to consider. With just one year left on his Fulham contract he could be available for half the price of the aforementioned duo.

But as their pursuit of Moura showed, and their signing of Buttner which caught everybody by surprise, United's scouting network is extensive and there are a number of players who could be considered. With little over one week before the end of the transfer window, time is ticking down for United to make one more move.

Crossing their fingers and hoping for Anderson to come good is unlikely to cut it. If no midfielder is signed and United end up trophyless in May, the two will be directly linked. They can still achieve success without making a new addition, but their task will be that much harder, and a repeat of nights like Monday will be more likely.

What do you think, do United have one more move left in them? Who do they need to sign?

image: © Nasmac