Antonio Candreva: Loves to dribble and shoot - Manchester United should consider this versatile playmaker

The biggest question for David Moyes this January isn’t about whether he needs to add to Manchester United’s squad or not. The answer to that is an unequivocal yes, which makes the notion of who to add (and just how many players he needs to add) the more pressing concern for the Red Devils’ boss.

There are areas of improvement right across the field for United this year, but the most immediate issue is around their midfield. Against Manchester City they were shown to be lacking the tenacity and strength to dominate in either attack or defence; the same was true against West Bromwich Albion and in a number of other games.

Given how much they’ve struggled in midfield, there’s a real possibility that unless Moyes adds in a world-class midfielder to help steady the ship this January, the Red Devils won’t have the depth of talent needed to keep pace with the likes of Chelsea or Manchester City in the title race.

A player like Lazio’s Antonio Candreva could well be worth targeting from United’s point of view, a player which the club were thought to be interested in over the summer window, according to The Express.

Candreva possesses great balance and creativity in attack and offers a variety of different roles and tactics with his selection. As shown recently at the 2013 Confederations Cup with Italy, Candreva is capable of playing a number of different positions very well—variety that could well catch the eye of the Red Devils if they look to make the transition to a 4-3-3 formation this year.

The Italian is a prolific crosser of the ball who also loves to get forward—something shown clearly so far this season at Lazio. Candreva’s Performance Score is almost double that of any other player courtesy of his attacking contribution which has seen him register a team-high three goals and 14 chances created from the club’s seven matches so far.

Besides Diamanti no other player in Serie A has had as many shots as Candreva has this season, with the midfielder taking 28 in eight games. However, that shouldn’t be viewed as a negative, Candreva has a shot accuracy of 48%, with a chance conversion of 12%. He also ranks fifth across the league for goal-scoring chances created.

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Candreva has also to be capable of beating a man one-on-one this year, with the 26-year-old winning an impressive 25 of his 41 attempted take-ons. This ability would be a huge improvement out on the wings for Manchester United were he to make a move this January, with the likes of Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young not yet showing that they can be as efficient in beating defenders and moving the attack forward as well as Candreva has this year.

His pass accuracy this year of just 72% is a little worrying, but it’s worth noting that his percentage is so low because he’s trying to break the game open. Lazio have heavily relied on him to create attacking chances out of nothing, and such his attempts have become slightly adventurous at times—making it easier for teams to turn the ball over.

Were he to play in a team with stronger attackers around him, though, there’s no doubt that his completion rate and total number of passes completed would rise.

Candreva would be a savvy addition for United to make this January and one that would dramatically boost the club’s midfield options and attacking strength. That price may rise somewhat given that the player is co-owned by both Udinese and Lazio, but for anything less than £20 million, the Italian would certainly be a great addition indeed.