Kevin Strootman’s potential move to Manchester United is going to be one of the running transfer topics of this season and Hugo Borst, author of the ‘O Louis’ biography, has today fuelled the speculation.

Speaking to the Hawksbee & Jacobs show, Borst said Strootman is very keen to join United and already shook hands with Van Gaal over a future move, in a gentleman’s agreement of sorts.

Strootman has only recently returned to action after eight months sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury but he is now on the road to recovery.

The Dutch midfielder was always considered to be one of Van Gaal’s primary targets given his admiration for him and back in August, Van Gaal veered away from tradition to name Strootman as somebody he was keeping a close eye on.

Speaking at the time, he said: “I never say anything about individual players – it’s my vision that we have to be about the team and not individual players.

“Other players, not at Manchester United, I can’t judge – I am not there. Strootman I can judge, but he has been injured for more than six months.

“We have to wait and see how he comes back. It’s not so easy to come back out of an injury, so we’ll wait and see.”

United may have brought in Daley Blind and Ander Herrera but Strootman would be a superb signing. He knows Van Gaal’s philosophy inside out, has captained the Dutch team already and was so integral to the Holland set-up at the World Cup that Van Gaal changed the entire formation after his injury, such was his importance.

Any move in January is unlikely given that Strootman has spent so long out injured but fully expect this transfer story to continue all season and into the summer.