Manchester United Transfer News: Louis van Gaal Eyes Pace, Ayoze Perez Rumours

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has indicated that he will look to add pace to his squad in the January transfer window.

The Red Devils sit just two points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City, and their defence has been impeccable of late. But they have lacked energy in attack.

Van Gaal believes he can rectify the problem by bringing in added pace on the flanks, and he has his eye on a number of targets, per David McDonnell of the Mirror:

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I have said already, in my first year many times, we need speed and creativity on the wings. You have seen that now we play with Jesse Lingard, and he is not the most speedy winger in the world. [Juan] Mata is also not the most speedy winger in the world. So first we must address that problem and then we can see how we have to play and how we are in balance with playing with speedy wingers. I want to buy a lot of players, but not all of the players I want are for sale. So there are a lot of factors in it.

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Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard both found the back of the net as United beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 on Saturday.

As Van Gaal noted, Mata is not the fastest of players, but his contributions since his arrival at Old Trafford in January 2014 have been huge, per Sky Sports News HQ:

Lingard has begun to play a bigger role in Van Gaal's squad of late and netted his first senior goal for the club with a fine finish against West Brom.

Despite Van Gaal's comments, he is hardly short on pace, and his injection of speed has been a key weapon for him this season.

Similarly, Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial are both pacey players, and the Frenchman has been United's brightest spark this term.

However, the Dutch manager feels there is a dearth of creativity and speed in his squad, and January could be his opportunity to bring some players in.

According to Mark Douglas of the Chronicle, the Red Devils are eyeing a move for Newcastle United forward Ayoze Perez, with the Manchester outfit having reportedly "compiled a dossier" on the Spaniard. 

Primarily a centre-forward, Perez can also play out wide, and he has the pace that Van Gaal craves.

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

Given that the Magpies are struggling near the bottom of the Premier League, Perez may be tempted by the prospect of a move to Old Trafford. The 22-year-old has netted three times in 10 appearances this season, per WhoScored.com.

While Perez is a talented attacker with a keen eye for goal, he has yet to prove he has the ability to perform at the highest level.

It would be a gamble for Van Gaal to bring him to United, and he would not be an upgrade on the players the Dutchman already has at his disposal.