Wesley Sneijder would be a disastrous signing for Manchester United

United have been linked with another midfield maestro in recent weeks; Wesley Sneijder has been the subject of numerous reports over the recent weeks, with Sky Sports the latest to report that the Dutch player can leave the Turkish giants Galatasaray for £20m. 

United should not pursue this move.

Why? 

Firstly, Sneijder is not the player he once was. Well, has he truly ever performed at club level? 

Yes, he was influential in Inter Milan's treble winning season under Jose Mourinho in the 2009-2010 season, but the midfielder has never fulfilled his potential after such impressive seasons at Ajax, scoring 43 goals in 126 league appearances. 

After watching his performances for the Netherlands in the World Cup, it's safe to say at 30, the Dutch midfielder is considerably past his best. A player who is failing to influence a football match is what United have plenty of with the likes of Fellaini, Cleverley and Anderson and they don't need another. 

Secondly, a £20m price-tag, really? 

The midfielder made a £8.4m move from Inter Milan to Galatasaray in January 2013, yet he will go for more than twice that amount to United. 

In his 46 appearances for the Turkish club, there is no justification that he has raised his value by his performances, which means the club must have a considerably high buy-out clause for the midfielder.

The £20m quoted for Sneijder could be used in more productive ways for the club, such as using that money to prise William Carvalho from Sporting Lisbon for £37m. 

Lastly, linking with the previous point, there's no long term advantage by signing Sneijder. 

It's very unlikely he will be at the club into his late 30's, as he's failed to stay at a club longer than 3 years since 2007. 

In comparison to signing a young midfielder, who may improve and have many years in front of him, it seems logical that United won't spend a needless £20m on Sneijder.

Giving youth players a chance such as Jesse Lingard, may be another alternative, despite the youngster failing to make United's tour squad.

Despite it being obvious that there is evidently more negatives than advantages to signing Wesley Sneijder, Untied did spend £27.5m on Marouane Fellaini last summer, and we all saw how that turned out...