Man Utd eye shock January deal for Chelsea and Arsenal legend to resolve injury crisis

MANCHESTER UNITED could make a surprise January move for Ashley Cole, according to reports.

 

Ashley Cole in action for Serie A side Roma

 

United boss Louis van Gaal is currently experiencing an injury crisis at left-back after losing Ashley Young for up to two months with a serious groin problem. 

Young will go under the knife in a bid to speed up his recovery, but joins Luke Shaw on the sidelines - who broke his leg in two places in United's Champions League defeat to PSV Eindhoven in September. 

Cole is currently a free agent after terminating his contract with Serie A side Roma this week. 

 

And according to The Independent, Van Gaal could make a January move for the former Arsenal and Chelsea full-back if they fail to find proven quality in that position before deadline day. 

With the 64-year-old admitting that finding a player to provide a short-term solution is proving a difficult challenge. 

“Only [Matteo] Darmian is fit, so I need full-backs,” he said. 

 

“The difficulty is that we ask for a certain level [standard] and we are looking, but it is not so easy. 

"You have seen how I have used youngsters like [Cameron] Borthwick-Jackson and [Guillermo] Varela, who are doing great, but the level of Manchester United is high.”

It is understood that United are reluctant to move for the 35-year-old, but if if they continue to suffer injuries at full-back then it could force United into gambling on Cole. 

Cole is also attracting interest from MLS side LA Galaxy.