Manchester United’s form this season is almost inexplicable. They are in a cold funk – bereft of form or fluidity. And, the worst part is that they have a ridiculously good squad – players like Mata, Januzaj, Falcao, RvP, Rooney, Di Maria, Carrick and De Gea should be easily good enough to mask the patent deficiencies in defence – it’s as if they have all been hypnotised into playing badly. Has Jose Mourinho or Manuel Pellegrini enlisted the services of Derren Brown?
With this stellar roster of stars not performing, it might seem silly to suggest that more marquee signings are needed. But it appears that, along with the defensive arrivals, Manchester United will make another mega move this summer for a player who can at once thrill and decide games, like Cristiano once did at Old Trafford.
A dynamic, younger striker like Paulo Dybala could add much needed zip to the team but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to look beyond Gareth Bale when considering Manchester United’s marquee summer signing.
The Telegraph this week reported Bale’s current stock at Real Madrid:
Gareth Bale’s future at Real Madrid has once again been cast into doubt after the Welshman was mercilessly booed by Los Blancos supporters during Tuesday night’s Champions League defeat to Schalke.
In a recent poll conducted by Spanish newspaper AS, 46.1 per cent of supporters thought the club’s £86m record signing should be cut from the team.
Almost half of around 3,000 answering the poll said they believed that if Real Madrid broke up their so-called ‘BBC’ (Bale, Benzema, Cristiano) front three, Bale should be the man to make way.
Another article in the same news outlet suggested:
The Welshman has everything Louis van Gaal’s midfield lacks, the only problem is, to sign him, United may have to let goalkeeper David De Gea move in the opposite direction.
Nine games without a goal and booed by his own fans – Bale could find himself the victim of Real Madrid’s legendary ruthlessness this summer, despite the recent statement of club president Fiorentino Perez, made in an attempt to reassure the fans:
‘Gareth Bale is one of the best players in the world.
‘The biggest clubs fought and continue to fight to secure his services.
‘The only thing I can say is that we shouldn’t forget what he was able to achieve in his first year at Real Madrid.’
We have always felt that Gareth Bale’s style is more suited to The Premier League. He does of course have great quality on and off the ball. But he is more about power than panache. He is a remarkable athlete whose power, pace and endurance bewitched The Premier League but these qualities are not always best suited to Spain, where trickery typically trumps tenacity.
Bale would be the perfect addition to a Manchester United side which still lacks pace and symmetry. The inclusion of Bale would give Angel Di Maria more time and space to rediscover his confidence on the opposite flank. The Argentinian is clearly over-burdened by the label of ‘danger man in chief’ and has been well shackled by Manchester United’s opponents this season. But if Bale joined the club the attack would have another blistering prong – another pacey outlet, to get behind defences quickly and more frequently (United’s main problem for the last two years) and to make the side much more unpredictable, while also bringing better service to the finishers.
The world’s most expensive player will undoubtedly be linked to Manchester United this summer. But this one could be much more than simply tabloid hype. Real Madrid may well decide to cut their losses whilst they can still sell for a very high price. Another poor season in Spain and his value could plummet.
