Arturo Vidal transfer latest: Manchester United target breaks down in training as Vidal suffers another knee injury
Louis van Gaal exercised caution in his pursuit of Vidal which appears to be justified after the midfielder suffered a fresh knee injury while training with Chile
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Your support makes all the difference.Louis van Gaal will be counting his blessings after the caution shown in the failed summer move for Arturo Vidal appeared to be vindicated when the midfielder broke down with a knee injury during a training session with the Chile national team.
Unfortunately for the Juventus midfielder, he looks set for a spell on the sidelines and will have to undergo a string of tests on the troublesome knee that has severely hampered him in the past.
United were heavily linked with a move for Vidal during the recent transfer window, with a fee of up to £42m being mentioned as the Italian side’s asking price. Reports did emerge that suggested Van Gaal was reluctant to sign Vidal unless he could prove he had fully recovered from the knee surgery he underwent at the end of last season, with the Chile international struggling for fitness at the World Cup in Brazil.
With the national team set to face Mexico and Haiti on Saturday and Wednesday respectively, Vidal had joined up with the rest of the squad to prepare for their first matches since their World Cup exit against Brazil in June, but the 27-year-old is now unlikely to feature as their medical team seek to discover the extent of the injury.
He could be required to undergo further surgery in order to correct the issue, which could keep him out for the foreseeable future and have a significant impact on Juventus’s attempts to retain their Serie A crown and launch an assault on the Champions League.
The Old Lady are already without influential veteran midfielder Andrea Pirlo who will not return to fitness until October, and the news comes as a blow to new manager Massimo Allegri who is trying to adjust to life in Turin after replacing Antonio Conte in the summer.
The belief is that United are still light in midfield and missing the creative talent that could spark their attack into life. Van Gaal did break the British transfer record to sign Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid for a hefty £59.7m, but while the Argentinian can play in a central midfield role he is clearly more at home out wide where he can create chances for the likes of Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and new signing Radamel Falcao.
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