We have to again punctuate this piece by first stating that we don’t think a deal is within the realms of possibility in January.
Furthermore we think that players will enjoy being managed by Real Madrid’s new coach Zinedine Zidane.
So the length of his stay in the hotseat of one of the the most volcanic clubs in the world could dictate to the length of Manchester United target Gareth Bale’s stay in Spain.
Judging by his hat-trick in Zizou’s first game in charge, Manchester United may have to wait a bit longer.
Now the flip side.
The Sunday Times, one of the most respected sports media outlets in Britain, stated with great assertiveness over the weekend that Bale is still considering his future in the light of the Rafa Benitez sacking and that Manchester United are preparing another £90m bid for the services of the 26 year old.
Man Utd plot £90m bid for Gareth Bale
And then we have exhibit B – the Bale quotes.
We very much presume that any sound bite is carefully crafted and vetted by PR companies of the players before they are made.
That Bale said he is happy ‘at the moment’ is surely a loaded statement. The subtext is perhaps ‘play me every week and in the middle or I’m off’
The quote in full then:
“I don’t feel I need to make a statement to anyone,” he said. “I know what I’m capable of and I just want to keep enjoying my football and when I do that I play my best.
“I’m happy at the moment. Obviously you can never predict what happens in the future, but I’m enjoying my football at the moment so I’ll keep going.”
If Manchester United and Ed Woodward did pull this deal off then much of the dross witnessed on the field over the last two and a half years would be forgiven and the fans could once more look forward to some bewitching, attacking football every week.
But, perhaps we should ask at this point, would Manchester United allow Bale to play through the middle when they are so desperate for pace and quality out wide?
We aren’t so sure.
