In his press conference ahead of our game against Preston, Louis van Gaal was asked about what his transfer priorities were for the summer.

You would think a central defender or two would be the focus, or a right-back, but apparently the Dutchman is after a midfielder.

I am looking for balance and I need balance in midfield. When I play with Januzaj and Di Maria in the midfield positions, then you need a certain balance for that kind of creative player. So, when you have these creative players, and also Falcao and Van Persie are creative players, then you have four creative players and you have to look for balance in your team.

With the likes of Daley Blind and Marouane Fellaini in the squad, who both have done well this season, it’s hard to see why signing a player who could give balance to the vast numbers of creative players we have in the squad is a priority.

However, with Blind required to play in defence when all our defenders are out injured, and Fellaini shoved up front when we need someone to lump it to in the remaining minutes when we’re not winning, maybe there would be some value to having another deep-lying midfielder in the squad, particularly after the departure of Darren Fletcher.

It’s odd though that some media outlets have used Van Gaal’s quotes to suggest that his priority for the summer transfer window is yet another creative player.

Sky Sports have gone with the headline: Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal insists the club must sign a creative midfielder this summer

The Guardian have chosen: Manchester United’s transfer priority is creative midfielder

The BBC have footage of the press conference (as do Sky Sports, making their conclusion all the more puzzling) and it shows Van Gaal being asked the question, “would the priority for you in the summer be to find that midfielder you feel you are missing?” His response is, “yes, of course.”

This interaction has been reported differently by the Press Association though, and then by most newspapers covering the story.

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The slant given in The Guardian by journalist Jamie Jackson is that Van Gaal is not satisfied with Ander Herrera. While United fans have been questioning Van Gaal’s refusal to give Herrera a proper run in the team, seeing as though he pretty much always does really well when he does play, it seems as though Van Gaal’s recent comments have been used to support the anti-Herrera stance. But is Van Gaal saying he needs another creative player like Herrera, to be used instead of Herrera? Quite the opposite. He wants a player to provide balance for the creative midfielders.