The writing has perhaps been on the wall for Michael Owen for quite some time now, but even as the end of his career edges ever nearer, there is something deafening about the silence that seems to be surrounding his final stint as a professional footballer.

With the news that Stoke City are set to release the former-England striker at the end of the season, while the man himself would be loathsome to publically admit it, the walls are slowly beginning to close in on the 33-year-old’s career.

Having previously stated a reluctance to try and prolong his career in The Championship and beyond, his options are looking incredibly thin indeed should he have designs on playing for another season. With the close proximity of Stoke to both his family as well as his business interests said to have been a feature in his decision to move to initially move to the Britannia, you would imagine another stint abroad may not be on the cards.

But after the season he’s currently endured under Tony Pulis –in which he’s failed to make a single Premier League start – if the Premier League is the only option, then it could well be game over for Owen’s career.

Should this be the end of the road for him after this season’s finale, it will represent a relatively meek finish for a player whose career has produced such extraordinary highs. And although that may seem disappointing, Owen wouldn’t be the first and nor will he be the last talented professional to go out on a whim.

After all, his burgeoning medal count certainly proves a poignant reference point should some need reminding of his achievements within the game. Not everyone gets the opportunity to go out on the top.

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Yet there’s been something telling within Owen’s recent need to remind us all about how good he once was, that paints a very succinct picture about the luke-warm level of goodwill that he’s been afforded by supporters in recent years.

“I shook the world in my day.”

That was how Michael Owen recently described his own playing career in answer to a cheeky enquiry as to whether he plays football these days. And in shelving the slightly acrimonious, “What have you done in life?” part of his reply for a moment, there’s very little to argue with about his initial self-proclamation. In his day, Owen was simply brilliant.

Regardless for how relatively short the duration of his greatness may have been, there is simply nothing to argue with when it comes to weighing up the one time-Real Madrid man’s resume. The 150 Premier League goals and counting, the Ballon d’Or won in 2001 and that hat-trick against Germany in 2001; for as disappointing as it was that his star was unable to shine for a longer duration, when it did shine, few have done so brighter.

Few Englishman have scored in four major tournaments and even fewer have notched a goal in an El Clasico. With 40 goals for his country, he’s one of England’s greatest ever goalscorers. Taking all of the above into consideration, the absence of fanfare that surrounds his possible exit from the game seems startling.

But if the first half of his career was illuminated by an ability that few had seen from an English striker in several decades, then the latter has been underpinned by a simmering feeling of both suspicion and disappointment by the wider footballing public.  And although injuries have played a domineering part in that process, Owen’s oddly subdued public standing for a player of his achievements owes more to it than simply a fragile body.

If there is any lingering of dislike towards Owen, it certainly doesn’t stem from any perceivably negative trait of his persona, in the mould of the John Terrys, Rio Ferdinands or Wayne Rooneys of this world. In interviews, the 33-year-old comes across as an articulate, humble and mild-mannered gentleman. A brief look into the window of his personal life and Owen strikes you as a family man, bereft of the vulgar displays of wealth that can be found in many of today’s footballers.

Although from a professional standpoint, Owen hasn’t often always come across as the most likeable footballer to come out of these shores. His decision to leave Newcastle United on a free transfer after costing the club nearly £39million in wages and transfer fees hardly struck you as a showing of loyalty given his paltry contribution during his time at St. James’ Park.

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But it was within his decision to move to Manchester United, which really rankled with fans. And for the wider majority, it had nothing to do with his past Liverpool connections.

Nothing Owen says will ever paper over the school of thought that at only 29-years-old, with plenty still to offer to any club in the country, he chose to sit on the bench and enjoy glory from the vaguest of peripheries, rather than actually try to add to what he achieved in the first part of his career.

Moving to United effectively slayed the notion of him bestowing ambition and the continued insistence that he’d rather be playing on the fringes at Old Trafford than regularly for a smaller-club goes against the grain of the mindset of a great player – after all, that’s what he likes us to remind us that he is, isn’t it?

Is Owen in denial about the truth of his own career? In the same way he couldn’t understand why he wasn’t being picked for England after barely playing for Manchester United or his refusal to accept that the label ‘injury-prone’, any insecurities Michael Owen may have upon his own career are of his own inability to see the bigger picture.

If the senior team are experiencing something of a hiccup at Tottenham Hotspur during the season’s run-in, then supporters of the club can at least take solace in the unprecedented success that the Lilywhites’ youth set-up is currently enjoying.

With Spurs’ U21 side now guaranteed qualification from the elite group into the semi-finals of the Barclays U21 Premier League competition – thanks in no small part to an eight point gap accumulated with three games still to play in the group stage – things are looking extremely rosy for the club’s future. Throw in an impressive run to the quarter-finals of the NextGen competition and optimism is understandably high for the next generation of home-grown talent.

But for as exceedingly well as Tottenham’s crops of youngsters have done this season, the overall success of their youth academy is always going to be judged on how many make the step up to first-team proceedings – a feat that’s been notoriously hard to achieve at the club in recent seasons.

With the duo of Jake Livermore and Tom Carroll serving as real beacons of hope to those looking to follow in their footsteps, the roadblock that seems to have too often separated the youth and first teams in N17 seems to have slowly subsided. But looking to convert 90-minute outings in the academy into 10-minute cameos with the full squad still remains an extremely difficult trick to pull off.

The common solution in bridging that gap between youth and professional level is of course through the medium of a loan spell away from the club. But while the loan market is fraught with danger and inconsistency, it remains one that Spurs have struggled to consistently exude the best out of.

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And should they wish to really profit from the wealth of talent that they currently possess at U21 level and beyond, the club could do with ensuring less of their young prospects return from their loan spells having learned very little and played even less. The question is however, how much as a parent club, can Tottenham really do to prevent their loanees’ flailing prospects away from White Hart Lane?

There is no cast-iron formula for a successful loan blueprint and no team can accommodate for a loss of form, injury or a change of philosophy from the player’s temporary manager. Yet while it would be somewhat naïve to suggest that Spurs have been guilty of adopting a haphazard approach to the loan market, there have been occasions in recent times where you must wonder whether the club have really given their young players the best shot at success.

Andros Townsend may now be enjoying life in the Premier League away on loan to QPR, but after eight previous spells away from White Hart Lane, his apprenticeship within the Football League has often resembled more a case of trial and error, as opposed to a carefully planned road-map for success.

One man who has of course enjoyed a wonderful road-map for success, is Steven Caulker, but while he has perhaps been one of Spurs’ best managed youth products, he is more of an exception to the rule, rather than the default example.

After a superb loan spell at Yeovil Town during the 2009-10 season in League One, the 21-year-old was carefully moved up the ladder with moves to Championship side Bristol City and then-Premier League new boys Swansea City following in successive seasons. His success owes more to his own defensive gifts and outstanding work-ethic, but by sending him to clubs in which he’d earn first-team football – not to mention gradually increasing his exposure to quality – Spurs gave him the best possible chance.

But that road-map hasn’t always been adhered to at White Hart Lane.

The pairing of Jonathan Obika and Ryan Mason also enjoyed a fruitful loan spell at Yeovil alongside Caulker at Huish Park. But although Caulker was obviously at a more advanced stage in his footballing development, when both Obika and Mason hit sticky patches after moving on from Yeovil, Spurs’ only answer appears to have been to keep flinging them at clubs in the hope that something changes.

After making his step up to the Championship with Doncaster Rovers, Mason struggled to make an impact after injury during his second loan spell at the Keepmoat Stadium. After a spell away at Millwall where the Lions had little real need for him, Mason is now sitting on the bench in France with FC Lorient – a side in which he is unlikely to make a single appearance for.

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Obika is another who, after facing difficulty at Crystal Palace following his time at Yeovil, was flung into another five loan moves – two of which that were back in the South West – in a hope of getting it right. He now resides at Charlton – his ninth spell at his sixth different club.

Of course there have been successes, with young right-back Adam Smith looking like the latest to break the mould following a great spell under Kenny Jacket at Millwall, but the list continues past the likes of Obika and Mason. For every Smith, there seems to be a lot more Dean Parretts, John Bostocks and other players who have fallen victim to the loan system.

Just as Spurs can’t prepare for how a club will utilise a loan player, they can’t second guess how a player will develop either, and not all who show promise in the academy will be able to cut their teeth in the Football League and beyond. But through learning from the mistakes of the past couple of years, perhaps the club could take a little more care when looking to find their current set of gifted youngsters a temporary new home.

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Norwich boss Chris Hughton is hopeful Michael Turner will play again this season despite picking up a groin injury against Reading.

The former Hull City and Sunderland defender has been an ever present in the Canaries side since December but managed just 17 minutes of the 2-1 win over the Royals last Saturday.

Turner has formed an excellent partnership with Sebastian Bassong and Hughton is keen to have Turner fit for the run in as he feels Norwich need a few more points to guarantee another season in the Premier League.

He said: “We certainly would’ve liked Michael to have stayed on. We’re not sure how bad it is. He’s felt his groin and we’re hoping it will be slight.

“I’ve always thought we will need around 40 points and there are teams around us capable of winning games so I do think it will take more.”

Should Turner be ruled out of the remaining four matches then Ryan Bennett could be set for a run in the team after stepping off the bench to score on Saturday.

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Manchester City have agreed a £34m deal with Shakhtar Donetsk for Brazilian international Fernandinho, according to Sky Sports.

The midfielder has been spotted leaving a hospital in the city, which is a well-known venue for club medicals.

A fee is believed to have been agreed with the Ukrainian side, for whom the 28-year-old has been in impressive form of late.

City are set to confirm Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager in the coming days, and the Chilean is said to have big plans to overhaul the Citizens’ squad.

A deal for Sevilla winger Jesus Navas has reportedly been agreed, and with new attacking talent on the way, the ex-Malaga coach has set his sights on improving his midfield options.

Fernandinho is seen as the perfect man to add some energy and drive to City’s engine room, and is believed to be Pellegrini’s first choice.

The 28-year-old himself is said to be keen on a move to the Etihad Stadium, hinting that a deal could be concluded swiftly ahead of pre-season training.

Fernandinho may be well known to some sections of English football fans after his impact in the Champions League last season.

The midfielder scored in Shakhtar’s win over Chelsea in the group stages, helping the Eastern European squad into the knock-out phase of the tournament.

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Can Fernandiho help City reclaim the Premier League title with his mix of energy and samba flair?

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Arsenal fans are quite rightly in uproar after a woeful start to the Gunners’ 2013/2014 Premier League campaign.

The North London club suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend, and the surprise result amplified supporters’ concerns over a disturbing lack of summer spending at the Emirates, despite both Arsene Wenger and Director of Football Ivan Gazidis claiming a £70million war chest earlier in the season, and the latter boasting ‘an escalation in [Arsenal’s] financial firepower’ during a Q&A session in June that conveniently coincided with the Arsenal’s season tickets going on sale.

So far this summer, the average Arsenal fan has spent more money to watch their club than Wenger or Gazidis have spent on transfers. Whether a Gunner has paid good money to watch their side put in stale performances at the Emirates Cup, forked out £1,000 for a season ticket, attended the first game of the season, or simply renewed their Sky Sports subscription, they’ve still coughed up considerably more than the North London have for new players, with the Emirates summer spending total currently standing at precisely £0, barring any signing-on fee involved in 20 year old Yaya Sanogo’s bosman move from Ligue 2 side Auxerre.

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But what were Arsenal fans expecting this summer? Were they expecting a manager who was happy to let Sylvain Wiltord’s £13million move to North London in 2000 remain the club’s record transfer fee for the next eight and a half years  break the habit of a life time and bid £50million for Radamel Falcao? Were they expecting a gaffer  so determined to keep mega earners off the wage bill that Theo Walcott had to threaten leaving for free to secure a £100k per week wage package to suddenly change his entire financial philosophy and go after players who are already on £200k-per-week deals at major European clubs?

Arsene Wenger has always compromised between his own transfer ethos and the ambitions of the fans, and this summer has been no different. Twelve months ago the Frenchman promised a high-quality replacement for the departing Robin Van Persie, and despite the £24million at his disposal from the Dutch international’s transfer to Manchester United, sourced the unmistakably average Olivier Giroud from his favoured recruitment pool, the French top flight, for just £10million.

Again at Christmas, Wenger made the same promise of a new front man as pressure grew on the Gunners boss following a lukewarm start to their 2012/2013 campaign, but eventually brought in occasional Spain left-back Nacho Monreal instead, who so far has contributed just once to Arsenal’s goal tally, unsurprisingly.

And now, whether by fate, incompetence or design, the Gunners boss will once again have to find a compromise that will balance out the concerns and ambitions of the Emirates fan base with his own views on the modern transfer market.

He’s already made it clear this summer that he’s more than happy to undergo next season without a single addition in playing personnel, despite ten players leaving the club already, and the Frenchman’s wish is fast becoming a reality following a string of failed transfer pursuits.

Earlier in the summer, the Gunners were on the verge of signing Gonzalo Higuain, but Napoli’s late arrival with a £35million bid was enough to end Arsenal’s interest. Then came the £40million plus a quid bid for Luis Suarez, activating the most pointless transfer clause of all time, but once again, John W Henry’s twitter reply of ‘What are they smoking at the Emirates’ stopped Wenger in his tracks, and with a matter of days to go until transfer deadline day, the Gunners are yet to make a follow-up bid.

Most recently, the North Londoners were linked with highly-rated Bayern Munich midfielder Luiz Gustavo, available for a fair price of £17million, but the tenacious Brazilian somehow ended up in the hands of Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg, who didn’t even qualify for the Europa League last term.

At the heart of all of Arsenal’s failed attempts to secure marquee signings this summer has been Wenger’s misguided valuations. With Radamel Falcao moving to Monaco for £51million, Edinson Cavani joining PSG for a similar fee and Real Madrid offering £86million for Gareth Bale, even the Gunners’ club record £40million and £1 bid for Suarez is already looking horrendously outdated.

Wenger’s spendophobia has lead to the same effect on two fronts; with it being so late in the transfer window, the chances of the Arsenal gaffer sourcing a marquee signing this summer has declined from slim to none, whilst the fans, once seemingly immovable on their demands for at least one addition that could move the club a step forward in terms of quality, are now resigned to the reduced stipulation that almost any new player with a proven track record will do.

Had it not been for the weekend’s substandard performance and the adverse reaction from the Emirates faithful, Wenger would have most likely maintained that his current roster are good enough for the coming season.

But now, the manager and the fans will once again reach a compromise on the issue on transfers, as they did in January and the summer previous, with the North London outfit and their supporters now looking at a string of £10million signings, such as Newcastle’s Yohan Cabaye and Swansea’s Ashley Williams, that may provide added depth and allow the Gunners to preserve their Champions League status this term, but won’t be taking the club league table any time soon.

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And once again, Arsene Wenger reaffirms himself as the reigning king of  transfer compromise. The fans want silverware; he aims for Champions League football. The supporters want £50million stars; Wenger balks at the first sign of a £30million valuation, before setting his sights on regular £10million acquisitions. The Emirates faithful wants to move forward; the Frenchman is happy standing still, waiting for the Financial Fair Play laws to save him.

 Will Wenger ever adhere to the fans’ demands or always seek to compromise?

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Roy Hodgson’s men are being written off before a ball has been kicked in Brazil. Thomas Rooney of Footballtips.com looks at why it isn’t all doom and gloom.

As England fans, we know the drill by now in the build-up to a World Cup. Lots of expectation, followed by a painful loss and eventual disappointment.

It doesn’t stop us getting excited for the tournament and many of us will still follow England with a great deal of passion. For Brazil in 2014 though, there is no hype over Roy Hodgson’s men.

Qualification was secured later than many expected and there have been far too many below par performances for anyone to label England as potential World Cup winners.

However, maybe just maybe, they can upset the odds. Football is a game full of surprises and the World Cup isn’t the World Cup without a team performing above their station.

So, let’s look at three reasons why England can exceed expectations next summer.

1) The pressure is off

As mentioned, there is no expectation for England to progress to the latter stages. This is different to the norm when it comes to a World Cup. The belief in the team is arguably at an all time low.

Who knows – perhaps this will be beneficial? After all, whenever England have been told they can be World beaters, that hasn’t exactly worked out too well has it? A change in approach could work.

Privately, Hodgson will tell his players that they can beat anyone. He needs his squad to believe in themselves. Publicly though he is very wisely playing things down.

We’ve always wanted to see and England team playing without fear. Could we get just that in Brazil?

2) Wayne Rooney in the form of his life

Every team needs a super star. England’s is without doubt Wayne Rooney. The Manchester United striker is arguably playing the best football of his career and the hope is that this will continue.

Fitter than he has been for a few years, Rooney will be at the peak of his powers in Brazil. Yet to score a World Cup goal this will surely change this time around. He is just too good.

Firing in a cracking strike against Brazil in Brazil earlier this year will have done him the World of good too. Make no mistake, this is a man that still has the World at his feet.

With an extra maturity, Rooney can be England’s leader.

3) Exciting young talent

England are constantly criticised for not producing top young talent. Well, at the moment, this is a wasted argument. The Three Lions have plenty of youngsters to get excited about.

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Jack Wilshere can be a World beater for example. You then have Daniel Sturridge in fantastic form and don’t forget he is only 24-years-old. He can shine on the international stage.

Andros Townsend has then taken to playing for England like a duck to water, while Ross Barkley looks set for the very top. He is playing an important role for Everton this season too.

You then have Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to come back into the frame, while Ravel Morrison is an exciting talent that Hodgson could take a gamble on.

Having young players without fear can benefit England and going into next summer, they have plenty of faces not used to previous failings. They have players ready to take on the World.

It’s not all doom and gloom, so bring on next summer!

Thomas Rooney is a betting expert at Footballtips.com, a site offering World Cup 2014 odds, tips and news.

There’s a strong case to be made that Manchester United will never go away. Despite the club’s current plight across domestic competition, the financial structure and off-field operations simply make it near impossible for the club to fall away into relative obscurity in the manner other big-name English clubs have done in the past.

This country is obsessed with shifts in power, and largely those discussions are off the back of a half-season’s work. Sometimes, we jump the gun well before a campaign gets underway.

Was there an immediate sense after Liverpool won their last league title in 1990 that it would take the club over two decades and counting before they would lift the title again? No, because generally we don’t think like that, especially when it comes to club’s of that stature.

Liverpool’s lasting struggle to recapture – or capture – the Premier League title is based on a number of mistakes from within over the years and the growing might of others. Even Arsenal, who had dominated the late 90s and early-2000s alongside Manchester United couldn’t have foreseen this current barren run midway through Arsene Wenger’s initial years.

But where is the current swing in power from Manchester to Liverpool? What are we using as a measure?

If it’s simply down to a matter of six months struggle for one and the resurgence of the other, then we’re just as fickle as those who we regularly like to condemn. In those six months, Liverpool haven’t overtaken Manchester United’s league trophy count, nor have they qualified for the Champions League – a strong arrow in a team’s quiver of status in the modern game.

We like to look at history, especially when it concerns the falling of empires. From the underdog’s perspective, it’s a popular narrative. And yet history doesn’t always dictate what will come in the future. Are we assuming that United will crumble simply because others have? Where is the acknowledgement that clubs of that stature in the modern game simply can’t go away? Even if we dismiss the financial structure of club’s like Manchester United, what are the ramifications for Uefa and the Premier League if United fell away? We may look to Portsmouth, Leeds and Rangers in Scotland, but clubs like United do have a safety net; they’re of vital importance to the current makeup of the game.

But when analysing clubs like United, you have to look to the importance of individuals. The English clubs run on a slightly different model than that of those in Europe, though even on the continent, there’s a strong sense of the importance of particular, long-standing individuals.

Take Erick Thohir, who recently acquired Inter Milan. It was in the new owner’s best interest to keep Massimo Moratti on board, even in a low-key advisory role. There are things that can be learnt and traditions that need to be passed on from a family who have collectively owned Inter for over 30 years.

At United, Ferguson hasn’t disappeared. In fact, some are questioning his place as a regular at Manchester United games, both home and away. It would have been easy to mock David Moyes and his role as manager with Ferguson so close by, but for the benefit of the club, and not just as something that possibly though not conclusively undermines the new manager, keeping figures like Ferguson and Bobby Charlton around is of vital importance. If there is an external safety net keeping United from falling away into obscurity, those names form the internal safety net.

Then again, it should be said that every club holds their own fate in their hands. They’re as good or as bad as they want to be, within their means. Liverpool have made questionable decisions in the past, both as a club and on a smaller scale by managers. But the moving on of an individual isn’t enough to banish a club from the successes they once dined on so regularly. Multiple factors have to come into effect, each one like a domino increasing the probability of failure and steepening the climb to the top.

Manchester United need time. David Moyes needs time. The club may finish this season without a trophy, but that’s not really damning. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, and many other giants of the European game have had to go without; Juventus, the most decorated club in Italy, were relegated not too long ago, and yet with a large number of smart moves, they’re back at the summit of Serie A.

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It’s far, far too early to call any shift in power. Even if Liverpool were to win the Premier League title this season – an incredible ask despite their good season – United may still wrestle the title back next season. It would take a long-standing fall from United and a subsequent period of prosperity for such calls to hold water.

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Everything is starting to look at bit rosier for fans of Tottenham. The consistency under new boss Tim Sherwood has continued and after a rampant demolition job last week over Newcastle the performances seem to be there as well.

But on the back of that win it has been a relatively quiet few days for the North Londoners, free from the rigours of FA Cup and Champions League action it will mean more than week off until they face Dnipro on Thursday.

There are always two schools of thought on this issue of time off; the first says that a team that is winning wants games coming thick and fast. When you are playing well the physical strain of Premier League action just isn’t quite the same as when you’re in a rut, and for Spurs it seems as though they have missed out on the chance to capitalise on their recent good form.

But the fact that the majority of Spurs’ new rivals have been battling hard over the weekend, it is difficult not to see it as advantageous that the Spurs team have been able to have their feet up and relax. By this stage of the FA Cup it isn’t so much about rotating your squad, and for teams like Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton it has mean expensive exertions over the weekend. Spurs can look on in envy at FA Cup and Champions League participation, but when it comes down to it this could help Spurs out a lot come May.

So does it mean Spurs will be bold on Thursday?

Sherwood’s attitude towards the Europa League remains untested, and he would do well to recognise that Dnipro are no pushovers. I expect to see a strong side, with an element of rotation given an important tie with Norwich at the weekend. Europe will always come behind the league in the list of priorities this season, but this doesn’t mean that Spurs cannot win it. After their summer spending spree they now have the squad to challenge on both fronts, to think that the likes of Lamela, Soldado and Chadli are finding themselves as squad players only emphasises the strength Spurs have in depth.

Dnipro are a side dominated by Ukrainian players from the national side, and in Yevhen Konoplyanka they have genuine quality in the final third. This will be Spurs’ toughest test so far, and one if underestimated could prove difficult. But this is what European football is about, and it should be a challenge embraced by the North Londoners who are again trying to emerge as one of the continents top club sides.

Spurs’ challenge last season was derailed by fixture congestion and an apparent lethargy within the ranks come the last few weeks. Some argue this is overplayed, that footballers in the peak of fitness should be able to play ever few days, but you only have to look at results during congested runs of fixtures to see the issues.

This is in part the reason why Mourinho has tipped Liverpool for the league, a side now out of both domestic cups and one that never featured in Europe this season:

“There are teams with more potential than others, obviously. There is another, like Liverpool, with a big advantage with the fact that they don’t play in the Champions League.

“Playing in this is going to take concentration and energy from the teams that are involved in it.”

Is he just making excuses, or does he actually have a point here?

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In the case of Spurs we will find out on Thursday, will we find a rejuvenated side lining up or one that is a little rusty from a lack of action over the weekend? In either case Spurs will have to be on their guard against an extremely dangerous Ukrainian side in the Europa knockouts.

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A lot of negative press is being aimed at the price England’s new World Cup kit and QPR midfielder Joey Barton has leads the criticism on their efforts to promote the overpriced kit.Barton leads the Twitter blast as he expresses his opinions on how commercialism is taking over football hoping to get a clearly understanding on why the plain white t-shirt cost so much. Known for his physicality on the field, the midfielder considers this ploy to sell the national kit as a rip-off for the England fans.Have a look at the many Twitter rants Joey Barton has been posting in regards to the£90 plain as every t-shirt. With Barton’s bad boy image, maybe England should agree with him or risk a painful backlash!

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Louis van Gaal says that he is aiming to build a long-term Manchester United dynasty despite a need for instant success at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils endured their worst season in recent memory last term, as David Moyes’ ill-fated reign saw the club slip from champions to seventh place.

With no Champions League football and the income it brings an immediate return to the top table of European competition is the minimum expectation being placed on LVG, who has already spent around £60m of his rumoured £150m transfer war chest.

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Big names including Marco Reus, Mats Hummels and Arturo Vidal are being linked with switches to the Theatre of Dreams on a daily basis, but van Gaal says that he is just as focused on promoting young players and building a bright future as he is getting United back to the top of English game in a swift manner:

“I am not a coach who thinks short term, I am a coach who thinks always in the long term.” He is quoted by The Express.

“The way you see Barcelona still playing with six players from my time because I gave a lot of chances to the youth players.

“The structure and the culture of the club is Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Valdes and Motta – I also gave his debut and he is playing in Paris Saint Germain – not a little club.

“At Bayern Munich it was the same. You can see that in Muller, Alaba, Klose, that kind of player.

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“So I am always for the long term not the short term.

“When I buy, I buy players for the long term, not the short term because I do respect the club a lot and also the other clubs.”

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