Manchester United in for cut-price Fábio Coentrão

The transfer deadline day debacle which saw Manchester United reportedly miss out on Real Madrid full-back Fábio Coentrão by a matter of minutes probably traumatised fans as much as the player himself. But, according to the Mirror, United could swoop for the Portuguese international once again in January, with the player having been told he can leave the Bernabéu for £12 million.

Coentrão has really struggled for playing time this season, and has only made four appearances in the league. Given that he's got a starting place at the World Cup to fight for, it's almost certain he'll be looking for a move away in the next few weeks. With Patrice Evra looking poor of late and Alexander Büttner not going to displace him, it makes sense that United should capitalise.

Given that Coentrão is 25, other left-backs like Southampton's Luke Shaw and Wolfsburg's Ricardo Rodríguez -- both of whom have been linked with a move to Old Trafford recently -- are better long-term prospects. But, with neither likely to move in January and 29-year-old Leighton Baines commanding a transfer fee twice as big as Coentrão's, this could, or at least should, be a goer.