Get the day's biggest United stories delivered straight to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A year is a long time in football.

Last summer, Louis van Gaal was desperate to sign a defensive-minded central midfielder. It led to links with a host of different names.

Manchester United aren’t in the habit of giving too much away when it comes to their transfer plans. But two players who were dismissed out of hand were Joao Moutinho and Morgan Schneiderlin.

Van Gaal eventually signed Daley Blind two days before the deadline. But Michael Carrick’s injury problems have forced the United manager to reassess his options in midfield.

More United news

United confirm Matteo Darmian signing.

Profile: What Schweinsteiger will bring to Old Trafford.

Five things we learned from the first week of pre-season training.

Opinion: Matteo Darmian deal feels like value for money.

Sunday's United transfer gossip column.

"No.6 is a key player," he said before flying off for his summer break in Portugal.

"I have more key roles, the No.6 is just one of those key roles. You have seen this season, for example, because Michael Carrick is injured and I don’t have another, I have to play with Ander Herrera there. He did it very well, but it is not his speciality.

"I have played Wayne Rooney there also, but it is not his favoured position. I had to do this because I don’t have another right-footed holding midfielder like Carrick. That is why it is a key role, but I cannot discuss other positions because then I show too much."

He’s had to re-think his opinion of Schneiderlin, too. It didn’t go unnoticed in Van Gaal’s meticulous analysis of each game that it was against Schneiderlin’s Southampton that United lost the only game in which Carrick started.

The inference is that while Carrick won midfield battles against Liverpool (twice), Manchester City and Tottenham, he didn’t against Schneiderlin.

There weren’t many times last season when the stats didn’t favour Carrick but during the 1-0 defeat to Southampton at Old Trafford, he won fewer duels, had fewer interceptions and had a lower pass completion rate than Schneiderlin.

The France international, who moved to St Mary’s from Strasbourg in 2008, will also offer Van Gaal a physical presence. The Dutchman complained after the 1-1 draw with Chelsea in October United couldn’t cope with big teams.

Didier Drogba scored Chelsea’s goal from a corner while he was being marked by Rafael.

Van Gaal’s point was that Chelsea had Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry, Gary Cahill, Nemanja Matic and Drogba while he had just Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo and Marouane Fellaini in his starting XI who could deal with that kind of aerial presence. Schneiderlin isn’t a giant but at a shade over 6ft he’s useful in the air.

Even with no Champions League experience, he fits the blueprint of what Van Gaal is looking for. It just took him a while to realise it.

Click through the gallery to see United's summer transfer targets in pictures.