Manchester United Transfer News: Ryan Giggs Says Club's Real Test About to Start

Ryan Giggs believes the platoon of new signings Manchester United made during the summer are starting to settle into their new surroundings, and the coming weeks will give fans a glimpse of what the real Red Devils' squad looks like.

As reported by talkSPORT, the club legend is starting to see the results of the big-money signings United made during the summer, as the difficult start to the 2014-15 Premier League campaign almost feels like a distant memory:

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Obviously we've made a lot of investment this season and I think the new boys are just starting to settle in. It's exciting, we're fourth in the table and we're looking to build from there.

We've got a tough few weeks coming up with West Brom and then the real tests against Chelsea and Man City. That will be a tester to see where we are. It's a challenge.

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Fans of rival clubs were quick to mock the new-look Devils after a disastrous start, winning just one of their opening five Premier League fixtures, via WhoScored.com. But United have since won two straight, sitting comfortably in fourth place in the standings.

Angel Di Maria hit the ground running after his transfer from Real Madrid, quickly establishing himself as one of the league's top wingers with three goals and three assists, per WhoScored.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Di Maria wasn't the biggest summer acquisition for the club, however—that was new manager Louis van Gaal himself. The Guardian's Jamie Jackson gave him a passing grade for his first three months at Old Trafford, but he believes he can still do better:

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All in all Mr Van Gaal has made an encouraging start – and it should also be noted this has been done while giving debuts to seven homegrown youngsters – and a title challenge is still a distinct possibility.

Overall grade: B-

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This is perfectly in line with what Giggs told talkSPORT—after a start filled with ups and downs, it's beginning to look like the big investments of the summer are about to pay off.

Radamel Falcao finally scored his first goal for the club in the 2-1 win over Everton, and it was a vital one. His winner ensured the players went into the international break on a positive note, potentially laying the foundation for a strong run in the coming weeks.

It will be sorely needed—the Red Devils will play league-leaders Chelsea and defending champions Manchester City in back-to-back fixtures.

Marcos Rojo endured a difficult start to the new campaign, and fans and pundits were quick to label him a "bust" amid the club's struggles. The Argentine international appears to have turned things around of late, however, and Bleacher Report's Paul Ansorge picked him as United's unsung hero of the season so far:

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It is much too soon to say what Rojo's United career holds for him. However, it is clear that for a young man, playing in a new league, in a new country, he has settled in well.

When that is added to the fact that his third and fourth games for the club saw him thrust into the role of leader, alongside an inexperienced youngster, and that United won both of those games, there is plenty of cause to hail him an unsung hero.

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Daley Blind has impressed of late as well, although it could be argued no new arrival has had a bigger impact than Ander Herrera. Unlike Falcao and Di Maria, who have been able to contribute to an attack already featuring plenty of star power, the Spaniard was thrust into a difficult situation.

Injuries decimated the Red Devils' central areas, and amid it all, Herrera was the one bright spot. Via Man Utd News, WhoScored thought the 25-year-old was so good he made their team of the month, despite playing on a struggling team:

All of these pieces were going to require time to learn how to play together, and the results in the past few weeks have been promising. Fixtures against top clubs like Chelsea and City will be the real barometer of success, however, and fans will soon find out how the new-look Red Devils hold up in those matches.

Like Giggs, Van Gaal and the players likely can't wait to put their squad to the test against the best the Premier League has to offer, with the chance to put the early-season struggles in the past once and for all.

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