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The tactics employed by Louis van Gaal have been laid bare by statistics that show more than 50 Premier League players have had more touches than Wayne Rooney this season, despite the captain being the busiest Manchester United player.
Rooney has had 1022 touches this term according to data compiled by Squawka , which is more than any of his team-mates. Yet incredibly, 53 other top-flight players have had more touches this season, with Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas having the most with nearly double the number of Rooney with 1899 touches.
The style of play employed under Van Gaal was highlighted earlier this week when figures at the mid-way stage of the season showed that Manchester United have become something of a long-ball team , attempting 1,701 long balls in the Premier League this season, an average of 77 per game. Only Burnley have tried more, with 80 per game.
In contrast to the other sides towards the top of the table, Arsenal attempt the least with 46 per game, in front of Manchester City (51), Liverpool (58) and Chelsea (59).
In terms of touches, Antonio Valencia has the second highest number at Manchester United this term with 980 and Juan Mata the third with 880. Rooney's fellow striker Robin van Persie has had nearly half the amount of the England captain with 561.
Angel Di Maria, signed for a British record fee of £59.7m has had 708 touches of the ball. That works out as £84,322-per-touch since his arrival from Real Madrid.
Show all 21 1 /21Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Gareth Bale Manchester United would love him and some reports suggest he would be open to a return home - but Real Madrid have said they wouldn't sell the winger at any price, even the mammoth £150m that has been mentioned in recent reports.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Sergio Ramos Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos would be perfect for United and is one of few truly world class centre-backs around. Another player Real will not want to lose, this move may wait until the summer.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Juan Cuadrado The Fiorentina and Colombia winger was a target of United's in the summer but a move never transpired. He is lightning quick, brilliant on the ball and gets his fair share of goals. May cost more than £30m, however.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Ashley Cole The former Chelsea left-back was linked with a move to United last summer, but instead went to Roma. There are suggestions he is unhappy in Italy and would be open to a return to the Premier League.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Ron Vlaar Out of contract at the end of the season and impressing in his Aston Villa shirt, Ron Vlaar could be a quick and cheap fix at the back. That he's Dutch won't do his chances of an Old Trafford switch any harm either. Picked up a knee injury in early January that will likely end speculation.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Raphael Varane The Real Madrid centre-back has been hugely impressive since breaking through at the Bernabeu. Would take a big bid to land the young France international, but that shouldn't be a problem.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Ezequiel Garay Manchester United are keen to bolster their Argentinian contingent and the arrival of Garay would do just that. United reportedly sent scouts to watch the Zenit St Petersburg player.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Diego Godin Having played a central role in taking Atletico Madrid to the 2013/14 La Liga title, the Uruguay centre-back is an obvious choice as Manchester United go in search of defensive reinforcements.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Gerard Pique He played for Manchester United before being allowed to return to his boyhood club Barcelona in 2008. But recently things have soured for the Spain international, with new Nou Camp manager Luis Enrique leaving him out a few times this season. Could he be heading back to Old Trafford again?
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Nathaniel Clyne A call up to the England squad boosts your profile, and in the case of Clyne, it's led to inevitable speculation that he could leave Southampton. The Saints will be desperate to hold onto the young right-back, but as they found last summer, if players want to go they usually get their way.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Benedikt Howedes The Germany international can play on the left or at centre-back and it's understood that Manchester United have sent scouts to watch the World Cup winning-defender. The versatility of the Schalke player will appeal to Van Gaal.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Mats Hummels Another Germany international interesting United is Hummels. The centre-back was made captain at Borussia Dortmund last summer to help ward off interest from other clubs, but with the German side struggling this term, they might not be able to keep the suitors at bay next time around. A £35m offer has been heavily reported and this deal is certainly one that is the more probable to see in the near-future.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Aymeric Laporte The Athletic Bilbao defender, who has represented France at youth level, has been impressive of late and could be a longer-term option. Reports in Spain suggest a deal is "80 per cent" complete between the two clubs and would see United land one of the best performing up-and-coming defenders in the world.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Sami Khedira Manchester United have been linked with Khedira, but then, who hasn't? The Germany international looks certain to be playing somewhere other than Real Madrid next term, and it could be Old Trafford.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Julian Draxler The Schalke midfielder has been interesting Europe's top clubs for some time. So far, everyone has failed in their attempts to prise the youngster away from his boyhood club. With the money at Manchester United's disposal, they could persuade Schalke to relinquish.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Paulo Dybala Manchester United have been linked with a move for Palermo striker Paulo Dybala. The 21-year-old has been banging in the goals in Serie A this term, leading to speculation he's in line for a big move. But the Palermo president has indicated he won't be allowed to leave for anything less that £31m
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Yohan Cabaye After leaving Newcastle for PSG, France international Cabaye has reportedly failed to settle in the French capital. That he has struggled to force his way into the starting line-up under manager Laurent Blanc hasn't helped. That could make him open to a return to the Premier League.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Marcos Reus Another highly sought German player. With Borussia Dortmund struggling this term and no Champions League football next season a real possibility, it seems likely Reus could be sold in the summer. United will have to fight to be at the front of the queue.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Arjen Robben The former Chelsea player has said numerous times he has no intention of leaving Bayern Munich. But then again, nothing footballers say can be taken as sacrosanct. His Dutch links and style of play make his a good fit at United.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Kevin Strootman The Netherlands international was heavily linked with United in the summer but a serious injury ruled out the prospect of a move. The Roma midfielder has since returned to action and so the rumours have started up again. A fee of £30m has been mentioned.
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Manchester United: Players who were linked with a January move to Old Trafford Edinson Cavani Almost immediately following his big-money switch from Napoli to PSG, there were suggestions Cavani was unhappy in France. Those rumours haven't gone away and the Uruguay international continues to be linked with an exit. Should United pass on signing Falcao permanently, Cavani could be a good alternative.
What counts as a touch? A ball touch is not actually every time a player touches the ball, but an addition of all of the on-the-ball events a player does – e.g. if a player touches the ball five times to take the ball past an opponent, this is counted as one "touch", because Squawka is counting the event of the take-on as one on-the-ball event. Events that are considered ball touches are as follows: Any type of pass, a Throw In, Any dead ball situation, a Take-On, a Tackle, an Interception, a Clearance, any Shot, any Block (cross, shot or pass), a won aerial duel.
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