Manchester United facing up to playmaker poser

Luka Modric and Wesley Sneijder - potential Manchester United targets

As healing balms go, a 20th Premier League title and beating ManchesterCity into the bargain for the crown will be a soothing ointment to dollop on Manchester Uniteds European wounds.

If the Reds prevail in the all-Manchester battle for the title then Champions League and Europa League exits will be put to one side in the celebrations.

But the fact the Champions League is No 1 priority at Old Trafford means it would only be a temporary shelving of the Euro hurt.

Having reached last seasons final, they were overwhelmed by Barcelona at Wembley.

Post-final debate centred on the size of the chasm between the English champions and the all-conquering Spaniards.

If it was wide at Wembley then it has been stretched even further this term.

The last time they were so abject in Europe was in 2005, when they were dumped out of the Champions League and werent given a crack at the Europa League.

Fergie could take comfort though from the fact that, in Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, he had future World Player of the Year nominees.

Darren Fletcher and John OShea could learn from the experience, and with the arrivals of Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra, they regained the league title in 2007 and won the Champions League 12 months later.

However, having signed Javier Hernandez, David de Gea, Phil Jones and Ashley Young in the last two years, the need for a playmaker has grown in importance during that time.

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The engine room of Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs and Ji-sung Park had no answer to Barca last May and United were seriously on the trail of Inter Milans Wesley Sneijder last summer.

But the costs were too great and United went into this term with a midfield competent enough for the Premier League task but short of the creativity to pick the pockets of Champions League opposition.

The return of Paul Scholes has been a welcome domestic bonus but the 37-year-old only made a couple of sub appearances against Ajax and a similar league schedule will surely be his remit next term as well.

Hell be 38 in November and it is unlikely he will have a regular role in Europe.

The trio who were outplayed by Xavi, Iniesta and Messi in the capital last May, Carrick, Giggs and Park, are still around but now they are all 30-somethings, is the necessary improvement in their locker to take United on from the poor showing in Europe this season?

Between the older bunch and the potential of Tom Cleverley and hopefully Paul Pogba there is only Fletcher and Anderson.

Fletcher is gamely battling his stomach illness and hopes to be back in the new season but, unfortunately, it is not a given.

The Brazilians progress chart has not been curving upwards asmuch as expected and is starting to prove injury prone.

It is gap that needs to be filled.

Cleverley and Pogba have the raw talent to do what the likes of Scholes, Beckham and Butt did for the Reds engine room in the mid-90s when they had to learn the European ropes and suffer at the hands of Juventus before crashing through the barrier.

But one, if not two, midfield creators will surely be on the radar to supplement them.

A proven playmaker and an up-and-coming talent would freshen up Uniteds midfield.

Sneijder ticks a lot of box! es but w ill be 28 in June and it is an age group Fergie rarely touches when spending Uniteds cash.

Inter cannot hope to get the 35m demanded last summer and the player himself may now have to lower his wage demands.

Tottenhams Luka Modric has been pacified since his dalliance with Chelsea last summer by Spurs impressive campaign.

But Harry Redknapps team have gone off the boil and the Croatian could decide theyve hit the top of their heights. At 26, Modric would be a perfect fit.

The younger element could well come in the shape of 19-year-olds Christian Eriksen of Ajax and Athletic Bilbaos Iker Muniain both of whom were monitored closely by the Reds in their Europa League fixtures against United with the latter particularly impressive.

Whoever the targets, critics and the majority of Reds fans are united that a creative import is vital if back-to-back European flops are to be avoided.

How important is a new midfielder to Manchester United? Have your say.

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