United are eager to secure the Italy worldwide, who was named last year’s Italian national team’s player of the season, in a bid to replace right-back Rafael.
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Darmian, who said goodbye to his Torino teammates and fans before heading to the UK, admitted to an Italian journalist that joining United would be the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.
“Sunday (July 12) will be the deadline”.
“Football is like this and it’s normal that an extraordinary man like Matteo Darmian wants to try to win the UEFA Champions League”.
Torino president Urbano Cairo has insisted that Matteo Darmian’s switch to Man United isn’t yet a done deal, although he expects it to be finalised soon.
In those five years, Darmian has become a more complete and lethal full back, with the versatility to play anywhere across and back line, a quality that will fit in with van Gaal’s demands quite nicely.
SportMediaset journalist Massimiliano Cristina adds: “he lacks first team experience at a top level club, and making the step from Torino to Manchester United shouldn’t be taken lightly”.
Across the last three Serie A seasons, only three players have surpassed Darmian’s total of 351 tackles and he combines this with a great desire to attack, as England found out at the last World Cup.
Van Gaal is currently hot on the heels of Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin and now according to reports, the United manager is also persisting with his pursuit for Bayern Munich star Bastian Schweinsteiger. He spent time with Padova and Palermo, helping the latter to a runners-up spot in the 2011 Coppa Italia and enjoyed a short Europa League campaign under Delio Rossi before arriving at Torino in the summer of 2011.
The right-back position at Manchester United was considered a problem area by Louis van Gaal last season, with the club acting to address the matter in this transfer window.
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Darmian is expected to sign a four-year deal and earn £2m per season.
