Manchester United Transfer News: Mats Hummels Still a Must Despite QPR Rout

Manchester United were rightly praised for their terrific performance on Sunday as they thrashed Harry Redknapp's Queens Park Rangers side 4-0 at Old Trafford.

Many touted the beginning of a new era under Louis van Gaal after the debacle of last term, including Amy Lawrence in The Guardian, and many of the summer signings performed positively, per The Times's Oliver Kay:

After a poor run of early results which saw United pick up just two points from their opening Premier League games, the Old Trafford faithful finally had something to get excited about as Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo, Ander Herrera and Angel Di Maria all looked impressive.

Van Gaal changed things up slightly from the first three games, switching to a version of a 4-4-2 formation as opposed to the 3-5-2 setup he had played previously, per former United player and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville:

This allowed for far greater balance in midfield with all four of the central diamond putting in terrific displays.

However, there is still a serious issue in the centre of defence which will be exploited when they come up against better attacking units in the future.

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While Tyler Blackett and Jonny Evans are good players, they are not world class, and neither are Chris Smalling or Phil Jones just yet.

Indeed, even against a somewhat toothless QPR attack, United were, as per usual this season, not wholly convincing at the back, per the Mirror's Oliver Holt:

What is needed in the centre of United's defence is a dominant marshal, an established presence—like Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic were in their pomp—to co-ordinate an often inexperienced-looking unit.

Hence the need for Mats Hummels, who—as he was all summer—is being linked with a move to Old Trafford in January, per Charles Perrin in the Express.

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Perrin reports the Borussia Dortmund player's recent comments in which he also outlined that he does not have a buyout clause:

"If I wanted to leave the club one day I would want it to be 100 per cent open and fair for everyone."

Some would argue that United's primary target in the new year should be a deep-lying central midfielder, such as Kevin Strootman or Arturo Vidal.

However, Blind's impressive debut suggests that—while greater depth is still certainly needed—United have strengthened well in that area over the summer, per football writer Chris Winterburn:

The Old Trafford outfit did not strengthen at all in the centre of defence—despite the departures of Vidic and Ferdinand—and will pay the price because of it. Whether it be as part of a defensive four or a back three-with wing-backs—United's central-defensive strength is poor.

But Hummels' arrival in January would go a long way to fixing the problem. One of his finest attributes is his leadership—he is the current Dortmund captain—which is lacking in United's defence currently.

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Jones, Blackett, Smalling and Evans are all fine players, but they currently lack the ability to properly marshal United's defence.

Equally, Hummels' quality is undeniable. He is a World Cup winner who is a terrific ball-player and can start attacks from the back.

Furthermore, he is a ball-winner who is unafraid to make a tackle and would bring much-needed verve to a largely uninspiring unit.

United's performance on Sunday was reminiscent of swashbuckling performances of the past in which lesser teams weren't given a chance at Old Trafford.

However, past great Red Devils teams have always been built on strong defences—aside from Ferdinand and Vidic, see the likes of Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister and Jaap Stam.

The addition of Hummels to United's current squad would shore up the weakest point in the starting XI and allow the attacking players to thrive in the confidence that they are well backed-up.

If Van Gaal can sign Hummels—as he needs to—in January, the Red Devils would truly be a match for every side in the Premier League once more.