Van Gaal: Darmian Was A Bargain

Although Matteo Darmian has only played five competitive matches for Manchester United, Louis van Gaal is confident the Italian has already proven he is a bargain buy following his summer transfer from Serie A side Torino.

The 25-year-old World Cup star joined the Reds on 11 July and has since established himself as first-choice right-back with a number of impressively industrious performances in both the Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League.

Darmian has also won the love of the United fans, who have compared the Italy international to club legend Gary Neville - which is high praise indeed considering what the latter achieved at Old Trafford.

While speaking to reporters at the Aon Training Complex, van Gaal was asked if Darmian’s reportedly low transfer fee illustrates that the quality of a player matters more than his price tag.

“Yes, I am very happy that you discovered this because I didn't read that when the deal was announced,” the manager pointed out. “He was not a big player in Italy, he was a rising star. He is a late developer, but it is true, the market of a player is difficult to describe.

“A profile of a full-back is that first he has to defend and then secondly that he has to build up,” the boss said. “Thirdly, he has to attack and give an option to his fellow players in front of him. A player like Juan Mata, who is playing there, needs that fellow player. The full-back has to give him options so that Mata then also has more options. That is the profile of a full back of Manchester United.”

Darmian is currently preparing for his first trip to Wales and Swansea City, which van Gaal says will provide a new challenge. “He has to play on Sunday against Jefferson Montero, who is a very good player, so it shall be a big test for him. Until now he has fulfilled my expectations of him.”