Manchester United Transfer News: Arturo Vidal Antics Should Deter Red Devils

Arturo Vidal has ranked highly on Manchester United's list of priorities for much of the past year, but his stock may rightly have plummeted in light of recent revelations regarding the midfielder's use of personal time.

Juventus are reported by David Wright of the Express to no longer see their man as indispensable after Vidal turned up late to training last Friday following a long night of drinking and an alleged scuffle.

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

The Chilean international was fined £80,000 and subsequently dropped to the bench for Sunday's 3-2 win over Roma, with the Bianconeri now more open to offers for his services as a result.

Speaking on Italian programme Processo del Lunedi (h/t Goal.com's Mark Doyle), Juve's director general Giuseppe Marotta noted that the club must control their star better:

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Vidal is the classic South American player. Football is full of these types of stories since the days of Sivori. The South Americans are a little like this. They live in their own way. They have a particular way of enjoying and amusing themselves. We must keep him in check and control him. The €100,000 fine? Maybe it's even too little.

"

There's no doubt that Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal still needs some of that fire in his engine room. And while the summer purchases of Daley Blind and Ander Herrera have helped those central midfield woes, a toughened general remains absent.

However, on the pitch is where that fire's needed, and for a club looking to re-establish their previous status among the titans of Europe, investing in volatile stock isn't really on the cards at present.

At least not when players such as Kevin Strootman might be superior, albeit more expensive alternatives, per Ben Smith of BBC Sport.

Tancredi Palmeri provides an image of the fight that apparently cost Vidal his place in Massimiliano Allegri's starting XI against Roma:

As far as finances go, United showed with their £150 million summer spend that they can indeed afford to contend with the biggest clubs in the market.

However, as we know all too well, big price tags don't always equate to guaranteed success, and from Marotta's view at least, Vidal would seem a player who brings potential baggage along with him.

Massimo Pinca/Associated Press

Over the summer, it was speculated that the long-term condition of the anchorman's knee was a concern for Van Gaal and United, and this controversy only adds to his particular list of "cons."

David Amoyal of GianlucaDiMarzio.com speculates that the Serie A champions may regret not selling their star while his stock was at its peak:

Indeed, controversial players have walked Old Trafford's corridors in the past and still achieved great things, Roy Keane and Eric Cantona showing that there's sometimes a fine line between madness and majesty.

That being said, those signings were made when the Red Devils weren't in as desperate a state to see their investments repaid. At a time when the slightest stumble may result in disarray, United may be better off leaving Vidal's prospect alone.