Five players Manchester United could turn to instead of Toni Kroos

2) William Carvalho

Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho has been linked with a big-money move to Old Trafford this summer – and a good World Cup for Portugal could persuade Louis van Gaal to push ahead with the move. 22 year-old Carvalho came through the youth set-up at Sporting and, despite only establishing himself as a first team regular in the last twelve months, has quickly become one of Europe’s brightest prospects, such is his impressive mix of the ability to break up play and distribute the ball accurately.