Manchester United Tracking Zenit St Petersburg Defender Ezequiel Garay

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is reportedly targeting Zenit Saint Petersburg defender Ezequiel Garay to solve the Red Devils' defensive problems.

According to the Mirror, the Dutchman has identified the Argentine defender as the man to build his United's defence around and is keen to sign him during the January transfer window.

Garay, who was the subject of interest to the OldTrafford club during the summer transfer window, moved from Portuguese club Benfica to the Russian league before Van Gaal was announced as the manager of United.

Despite the defender joining Zenit just this summer, United are confident that they can prize him away from the Russians in January.

Garay is an integral part of the Argentina squad and is highly rated by the former Bayern Munich boss and he is keen to build his defence around the Argentine international, who is regarded as one of the best defenders in Europe.

Despite signing Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw in the summer, United's defence has been leaky and they have struggled to contain teams. The Manchester club conceded five goals against Leicester after being 3-1 up and that has prompted the manager to bring in further defensive reinforcements.

Meanwhile, United winger Adnan Januzaj has praised teammate and compatriot Marouane Fellaini on his goal scoring return to the United team.

The Belgian international scored United's first goal during their 2-2 draw against West Bromwich Albion and the Januzaj feels that Fellaini can help the team with his qualities.

"I'm pleased for him, he's my friend and he deserved it because he worked hard for it and has had a lot of injuries. It has been hard for him to come back and I was really happy to see him scoring," Januzaj told United's official site.

"He's a good player and he can do a lot for the team and can help with his qualities," the Belgian international added.