United hoping to prise Ezequiel Garay away from Zenit St. Petersburg.
Manchester United are looking to move for Zenit St. Petersburg central defender Ezequiel Garay just months after they could’ve signed him for £12 million from Benfica, report the Mirror, as manager Louis van Gaal looks to bolster a defence that has proved to be his side’s Achilles heel during the opening weeks of the season.
SEE MORE:
Live West Ham v Manchester City Streaming And Premier League Preview: Defensive injuries make Sam Allardyce’s job even harder
Five players that have rejected Manchester United
Suarez loses his rag at journalist
Garay performed exceptionally for Argentina at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and was one of a number of central defenders available relatively affordably this summer who United passed on, but this report suggests that they could look to rectify that error by prising him away from the Russian league leaders in January.
United are likely to have to pay a far more sizeable fee to the rich Russians to sign Garay, however, after he became a key part of the Andre Villas-Boas managed side who have dominated Russian domestic football this season and also look well placed to progress in the Champions League after a comfortable group draw, despite a midweek defeat to Bayer Leverkusen.
Garay is one of a number of players to have taken a route into European football from South America via Portuguese football and the 28 year-old was dominant in the Primeira Liga for a number of years, but his move to Zenit went through before van Gaal was officially installed at Old Trafford so they missed out on a key target.