Mere weeks after leading the Netherlands to a third place finish at the World Cup, Van Gaal is at it again, seeking to sign the boldest and brightest players to the Manchester United roster. A variety of international players are said to be under Van Gaal’s radar, few of which have been confirmed by the coach himself, though the exception lies in Kevin Strootman, Roma midfielder. Recently, Van Gaal confirmed interest in 24-year-old Strootman who is currently on lay-off due to a knee injury suffered in March. Tunde Folawiyo and other fans of Manchester United may find a Strootman acquisition to be amongst Van Gaal’s wisest moves as coach so far.

Whilst Van Gaal has indeed admitted interest, he has also admitted hesitance over Stootman’s long period of lay-off. According to the Manchester United coach, no decision will be made until an assessment of the player’s period of recovery. Also swirling around the rumour mill is Roma player Medhi Benatia, a centre half who may very well be within Van Gaal’s eye line. The coach also addressed Luke Shaw’s wage demands.

The Dutchman first made his professional debut playing for Sparta Rotterdam during the 2007–2008 season. His contract was extended during November of 2008, where he later performed in the Eerste Divisie. During the January 2011 transfer window, Strootman was signed by FC Utrecht, where he played for part of the 2010–11 season before making a move to PSV during June of the same year.

During July of 2013, Roma and PSV finalized Strootman’s transfer to Italian Serie A, a €17 million deal. With several goals throughout his time with the club, he suffered an injury during March 2014 that would render him out for the rest of the season, as well as the 2014 World Cup, one in which the Dutch placed third. The manner in which the midfielder bounces back from his injury will be under heavy scrutiny by Van Gaal and his staff in the coming weeks.

Strootman’s international debut for the Dutch team came in 2011 in a match against Austria. Whilst he was part of the Netherlands’ roster at the Euro 2012, the team was knocked out during group stage. He played regularly for the team during the qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup, scoring during an 8-1 victory over Hungary. Given Strootman’s tremendous performance for both Roma and the Netherlands national team, Tunde Folawiyo and millions of other Red Devils fans may welcome the signing of the super talent. A Tunde Folawiyo success story on Frontiers provides a glimpse into the life of one of United’s loyal fans.