Could Xavi Hernandez be Manchester United’s answer to Andrea Pirlo?

Manchester United have an opportunity to do something special this summer. While signing Ander Herrera is a move designed to secure the future of the Red Devils, a transfer with a much more immediate impact could be a possibility.

News emerged from Spain this week regarding the player's plans for the future, and though initially the midfielder wasn’t keen on Old Trafford, with his move to Qatar on the brink of falling apart, there may be a chance that he would reconsider.

While signing a 34-year-old may not seem like the most exciting transfer for United, it could ultimately prove inspired. Could Xavi Hernandez be Man United’s answer to Andrea Pirlo?

Everyone knows Xavi didn’t have the best season at the Camp Nou, but then again, few players did. A disjointed, disorganised and often-shambolic Barcelona side never managed to ‘click’ under Tata Martino, to the degree that the veteran midfielder himself complained that training wasn’t intense enough under the Argentine.

The reaction to Xavi’s decision to leave Barcelona from the local press tells a story. Not everyone is surprised he has decided to put an end to a decade and a half at his boyhood club, but almost everyone was shocked to learn he had opted to take a major step down by going to Qatar. Most would agree that he has a few seasons left at the highest level.

Spain’s early World Cup exit shows some evidence of that. While the lasting legacy of their tournament is that of disappointment and being humbled, it’s worth casting our minds back to the first 45 minutes of their group opener with Holland.

During that period, Xavi was the best player on the pitch by some distance, providing the pass through to Diego Costa that won his team a penalty, and supplying several more cutting through-balls that should have been better capitalised on.

As we all know, during the second half Spain fell apart, but their subsequent loss against Chile with Xavi sat on the bench suggested that the problem wasn’t the veteran midfielder after all.

In a well-drilled, well-organised team, Xavi could still have a lot left to give, and Louis van Gaal knows that. , the Dutch manager ‘has no doubt that Xavi is still capable of playing at the highest level and in the Premier League’. Could Van Gaal be right? There’s certainly a precedent.

Let’s cast our minds back to the summer of 2011. Far from being the international icon he is today, Andrea Pirlo was at one of the lowest points in his career. Having made only 17 appearances for Milan in Serie A, the San Siro club decided to let him walk for free, believing he wasn’t worth a significant new contract, and when Juventus snapped him up there were more than a few sceptics that thought the veteran would make little difference to the Old Lady.

Big mistake. Pirlo went on to pull the strings in a rejuvenated Juventus side, leading them to the Serie A title after finishing seventh the year before. He played 41 games in all competitions. By the end of the season he was 33. Age was no issue: Pirlo showed that in the right team, the best players shine beyond their years.

Antonio Conte was smart enough to make Pirlo’s age an advantage rather than a disadvantage, trusting in his experience and quality to make a difference, and putting the right players around him to hide his few weaknesses.

Louis van Gaal is more than capable of doing the same with Xavi Hernandez. After all, it was the Dutchman that handed the midfielder his Barcelona debut back in 1998, and he had enough faith in the young midfielder to play him in 17 games of the club’s title-winning season that year, despite pressure to pick others. It isn't beyond Van Gaal to show similar faith in Xavi now that the midfielder is 34.

There will be some who are concerned about Xavi’s capacity to handle the pace of the Premier League in his latter years. To that there are two responses. First, that the best players use their brains to make high-tempo games an advantage rather than a disadvantage, as the kind of spaces that tend to open up in those games can be a gift for someone of Xavi’s passing ability.

Secondly, it may surprise readers to learn that , with 105,703m in total. His nearest rival at Barcelona was Sergio Busquets, who covered significantly less, with 93,031m. If you need further evidence of Xavi’s mobility, consider that he also covered a larger distance than Angel di Maria (98, 558m), Wayne Rooney (97, 496) and Thomas Muller (96, 466). The Catalan still has legs.

Bringing Xavi in on a short-term deal could be the stroke of genius Manchester United need to close the gap that has opened up between them and the top Premier League sides. Even if the Red Devils only got two years out of him at a good level, he could still be a difference-maker, providing the kind of player capable of controlling a game that they have lacked for some time now.

That would also take some of the pressure off Ander Herrera, who lest we forget, is still only 24. If Van Gaal thinks there is even a small chance of convincing Xavi to change his mind and come to Old Trafford now that his previously favoured move is on the rocks, expect the Dutchman to try everything possible to get his man.

United fans, what do you think? Do you understand why Van Gaal is interested in Xavi? Let us know below...