Van Gaal tips splurge past £200m mark
MANCHESTER United manager Louis van Gaal has hailed the signings of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin after taking his spending spree past the £200m mark.
United paid close to a combined £40m in transfer fees to Bayern Munich for World Cup winner Schweinsteiger, 30, and Southampton for France midfielder Schneiderlin, 25, who completed moves yesterday.
They followed the capture of £13m Italy right-back Matteo Darmian from Torino last week and £25m Holland forward Depay from PSV Eindhoven earlier this summer.
United had already lavished more than £140m on stars such as Argentina winger Angel di Maria, who cost a British record £60m, since Van Gaal’s arrival last summer and his latest purchases took the total outlay close to £215m.
But the Dutchman, who steered United back into the Champions League despite a turbulent start to his first term in charge, believes his signings will prove worth the outlay.
“Bastian is the ultimate professional and there is no doubting his talent and his ability to control games. He brings a wealth of experience and is an excellent addition to our squad,” said the former Bayern coach.
“I am truly delighted he is joining Manchester United. His record speaks for itself; he has won every honour at club level and was a major part of the successful Germany World Cup-winning team last summer.
“Morgan is a very talented player with great energy and ability. His skills will complement the players that we already have and I am very pleased that we have been able to complete this deal before the tour to the United States.”
Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin, Depay and Darmian were among a 26-man squad that flew to Seattle yesterday for a four-match American tour, which kicks off against Mexican side Club America on Friday. Di Maria and international team-mate Marcos Rojo did not make the trip as they have been given extra time to recover from the Copa America, while goalkeeper Victor Valdes was also absent.
UNITED’S OUTLAY
2014-15
Angel Di Maria £60m, Luke Shaw £27m, Ander Herrera £25m, Marcos Rojo £14m, Daley Blind £12m
Total £138m
2015-16
Memphis Depay £25m, Morgan Schneiderlin £24m, Bastian Schwein-steiger £14m, Matteo Darmian £13m
Total £76m