Manchester City's Nigel de Jong runs with the ball during their English Premier League soccer match against Liverpool at Anfield in Liverpool, northern England, August 26, 2012
He has been linked with a transfer to Manchester United. He is a ball winning midfielder who has the leadership qualities, a team as down as United would love to have. His inspirational attitude has been applauded by Van Gaal. A signing is a possibility. Reuters

Manchester United is about to make the surprise move of the season--the team is confirmed to be all set to sign Nigel de Jong. With virtually nonexistent budget concerns at Old Trafford, the United management would love to invest more in the transfer window, particularly in its defense.

Louis van Gaal has been showered with praise in his short stint with United. He has already won everything in the pre-season, with International Champions Cup already in his bag. These achievements generated considerable trust in the manager. Hence, the management at United will definitely back Van Gaal's moves.

The 3-5-2 system needs to have complete midfielders to work. De Jong has the skill and stubbornness to contribute to this goal. He has been a key performer at AC Milan. He has the leadership qualities United so direly need, following the team's poor run last season and a revamp in management.

It is no secret that Van Gaal prefers the Dutchmen. In fact, he has contacted almost all of these players this summer. He has captain Van Persie with him, who struggled late in the season last year. However, the midfield and defense line cause worry to the coach. United is engaged in an intensive search of defenders. The team is said to be all but ready to sign Arsenal's captain, Varmaelen. This will boost its defense. However, if the team is to encounter the more aggressive attackers in the Premier League, it will need a solid midfield.

However, De Jong is the kind of player who provides support to the men at the back. Three players should be supported in the case of United. He has shown this ability throughout his stay at Milan. He is not the perfect playmaker, but loves to win and tackles hard.

"Everybody wants to be an attacker and score goals, but I always preferred to make a tackle or get the ball from some opponent," De Jong said in an interview with FourFourTwo. "As a striker you can't recover as many balls."

De Jong has been popularly known as King Kong because of the kick to the chest he delivered against Xabi Alonso in the 2010 World Cup finals. This is the kind of player Manchester United fans would love to have, especially with a questionable defense.