Manchester United clinched their second signing of the summer last Saturday in the form of Italy international Matteo Darmian, who has arrived at Old Trafford for a fee just shy of £13m.

Although the full-back comes with a preceding reputation from last summer’s World Cup, unless you’re well acquainted with the inner depths of Serie A you might not be too familiar with the former Torino man.

But fear not Red Devils fans, for Football FanCast is here to help. We’re giving the lowdown on Darmain; his strengths, his weaknesses, his favourite cheese; and perhaps most importantly of all, a look at why he could become an important element in Louis van Gaal’s new-look United side.

So whether you want to impress your mates down the pub with your new-found knowledge of the 25 year-old or simply want to understand all the fuss surrounding United’s latest acquisition, make sure you read on!

Do you think the arrival of Darmian has tipped the balance of power in the Premier League back in the Old Trafford outfit’s favour?

VERSATILITY

Louis van Gaal loves his ‘multifunctional’ footballers and Matteo Darmian is certainly one of them.

He’ll primarily serve as Manchester United’s resident right-back next season, taking over from ad-hoc No.2 Antonio Valencia, paving the way for Rafael’s long-expected exit from Old Trafford.

But the Italy international is a versatile defender, capable of operating as a wing-back or full-back on either side and even as an emergency centre-back should the situation require. As detailed below, he produced strong form on both defensive flanks and in the middle for Torino last season:

It’s something the United gaffer has already alluded to via the club’s official website and perhaps most importantly of all, gives LVG scope to revert back the 3-5-2 formation that produced mixed results last season.

The Torino-Man United connection

Throughout their long and prestigious history, Manchester United have signed only one player from Torino – a certain striker named Denis Law.

Red Devils fans will already be well-acquainted with the legendary Scot but we feel obliged to outline some of the more important details of his career. Law moved to Old Trafford from Turin in 1962 and went on to become the second-top scoring player in the club’s history, with his return of 237 goals in 404 appearances only bettered by the even more legendary Bobby Charlton.

In eleven years at the club, he helped fire United to an FA Cup, a European Cup and two First Division titles, and the 75 year-old still holds the club record for most goals in a single season – a whopping 46.

Now, Louis van Gaal won’t expect that kind of firepower from a right-back, even one as progressive as Matteo Darmian, but if you’re a firm believer in history repeating itself, the Italian is set for a long and successful career at Old Trafford.

TACKLE MASTER

They say tackling is a dying art, so it’s a good job Manchester United have just signed one of its few remaining masters in Matteo Darmian.

The 25 year-old is much better famed for his attacking qualities, but during the 2012/13 campaign averaged an incredible 5.3 tackles per match – the best return of any player throughout Europe’s five leading top flights. It’s discussed here at great length by Whoscored.com.

He hasn’t quite managed to sustain that emphatic statistic since, last season averaging 2.6 tackles per match alongside 1.3 interceptions and 1.7 clearances. But even that was only bettered by two Manchester United players last term, as detailed below:

Scoring form

Although I would once again like to stress Matteo Darmian is not a reincarnation of Denis Law, he has just come to the end of easily his most prolific season to date.

Indeed, the 25 year-old has managed just six goals throughout his career, spanning spells with AC Milan, Padova, Palermo and Torino. But five of them came during the 2014/15 campaign – including this rather bizarre goal against Juventus:

With only two United players reaching double figures in the Premier League scoring charts last term, another five-goal contribution from the right of defence could prove vital to the Red Devils’ title bid next season.

VALUE FOR MONEY

It’s an interesting point raised by Rob Dawson from Manchester Evening News; as one of the richest and most coveted clubs in world football, the Red Devils usually struggle to find good value for money.

Indeed, although Marouane Fellaini, Angel Di Maria, Ander Herrara, Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind and Juan Mata have proved strong additions to the squad, they’ve cost Manchester United a whopping £210m over the last few seasons. £25m men Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin aren’t exactly bargains either.

Matteo Darmian, on the other hand, has cost United just shy of £13m, making him the club’s cheapest first-team signing since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in summer 2013 – with the exception of free transfer Victor Valdes.

Of course, we won’t be able to tell if the Red Devils overspent until we get a good few seasons’ worth of evidence from the Italy international. But he is a well-proven player, with nearly 150 Serie A appearances under his belt and a preceding reputation from last summer’s World Cup.

Most important, however, is that Darmian won’t be constantly scrutinised by an overbearing price-tag, which is an absolute god-send at a major club with as many pressures as Manchester United. That removes a certain level of inevitable expectation; many of United’s other signings over the last few summers haven’t been so lucky.