Every summer Manchester United are linked with superstar players, bringing excitement to the club, and top-notch quality if a deal is actually secured.

Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney are among the club’s most expensive summer signings, and turned out to have superb careers for the club (and Rooney is still there).

However, for every marquee signing United may land, it is also important for them to make shrewd, astute signings to round out their squad.

At the beginning of the season, United seemed to be stacked at forward, sporting the likes of Wayne Rooney, Radamel Falcao, Robin Van Persie and youngster James Wilson.

However, things have not gone to plan. Van Persie has scored just two goals in the last two months, struggling for form and fitness. And Falcao has a measly four goals in EPL action.

Because of these developments, it seems possible if not likely that both of these players are shipped off in the summer. 

Conrad Leach of The Guardian has linked the Dutchman with a move to Inter Milan, while Jacob Steinberg from the same paper suggests Falcao could be headed to Anfield.

Naturally, when two high-profile players leave, there will be a desire to replace them, and that will be a point of emphasis if United’s only strikers are the raw James Wilson and Wayne Rooney, who will turn 30 next October.

Some fans may want to see Javier Hernandez given one final shot at the club, but it seems that he and the club are ready to move on. Alex Cook of The Mirror suggests that the Mexican will be used as bait to acquire Southampton full-back Nathaniel Clyne.

However, while “Chicharito” may soon be leaving the club for good, he was relatively successful and lessons can be learned from the purchase of him. 

The striker arrived at Manchester United in 2010 from Mexican club Guadalajara, with little fanfare. Many fans were unfamiliar with the player, and he cost around £5 million, per Transfermarkt.

However, the “little pea” soon became a fan favorite, and scored 37 goals in 102 appearances for the club. 

He was never really one of the team’s star players, and was often forced to come off the bench, but nonetheless he proved to be a valuable asset for Sir Alex Ferguson.

Burnley striker Danny Ings has recently been linked to the Red Devils (Will Giles of The Metro), and for those questioning his quality, “the Hernandez role” could certainly be his niche.

Aside from the fact that Burnley is an unglamorous club to buy from, there are really no negatives to a potential Ings transfer.

Firstly, he is young, at 23 years of age. Ings is already a productive player, but could get even better.

Next, he is English. Of course, there is nothing wrong with the extremely spread out and diverse squad United currently have, but fans would certainly enjoy seeing a homegrown player in their ranks.

Lastly, and most importantly, the purchase of Ings would be extremely cheap. The figure of £5 million, reported by The Metro, would be extremely reasonable for such a precocious young talent.

A player bought from Burnley for a small sum doesn’t make for a big-time transfer, but not every purchase has to be.

United will likely be in the Champions League next season, and as they hope for a title run, a deep squad is necessary. Every championship-winning team, in all sports, have their stars but also their role players, and Ings could be suited to such a role.

United can sign Ings as a squad player and still make a run at signing a star like Thomas Muller that fans are clamoring for—the two are not mutually exclusive.

As long as Ings is bought for a reasonable price, and he is not given too much responsibility, there is really nothing to lose in signing him.

If Ings did flop at United, he would likely represent a very small financial loss for such a big club.

It’s much more likely he’ll be successful, however. Ings has a respectable nine goals and four assists for a struggling Burnley side, showing himself to be a quick, hard-working player, who would probably suit Louis Van Gaal nicely. He has also shown his ability to take on players with 1.7 dribbles per game, per WhoScored.com.

If the Englishman could carry these attributes over to Old Trafford, he could certainly find himself in an important squad-player role, starting some games and entering others as a super sub.

The most popular United players aren’t always the best ones, rather they’re often the ones who work the hardest and fill their roles the most successfully—look at how beloved Ji-Sung Park and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are. 

Ings might never be a superstar at United, but he could certainly hold his own, and maybe even make some history along the way.

Stats and info via ESPNFC and WhoScored.com

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