UNITED SPECIAL Gareth may not Bale out Jose’s United
WHATEVER happens in the next couple of months, it is hard to imagine Gareth Bale getting what he wants – whoever he reports to preseason training with in July.
The Wales superstar’s favoured role is through the middle, in the No.10 role, but Jose Mourinho appears to have settled on a 4-3-3 formation going forward.
Ander Herrera returned to the side for the business end of the season – making a decent impact – and United set their stall out early with their summer transfer plans by prioritising a replacement for retiring skipper Michael Carrick.
That man looks set to be Fred who has made his name as a ‘conductor’ at Shakhtar Donetsk and will give United a bit of guile and energy in the middle of the park – which is desperately needed.
While Mourinho would certainly welcome Bale’s arrival and his winning mentality, it would present him with another headache in trying to strike a balance with a troublesome frontline.
On paper, United already have the names – Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata – but Mourinho struggled to get the balance right following Sanchez’s surprise mid-season arrival.
The Chilean has set up camp on the left wing, Bale’s natural position, so it appears there is only really one potential vacancy – on the right.
Bale has played most of his football for Madrid in that position, where he can float and cut on to his left foot, but previously revealed his favoured role was through the middle behind the striker.
Only Rafael Benitez trusted him with that responsibility. When I played for Tottenham, I felt I played my best football there and when I play for Wales, I play there and play my best football. For me, that’s my position and it’s where I want to play,” he said back in 2015. Once Benitez went, just a few months later, Bale rarely got an extended run in that role under successor Zinedine Zidane and has had to make do with a slot on the right – when he plays that is. Given how many modern left-wingers have struggled on the opposite flanks, Bale has adapted – the Welshman’s attitude has never been in question – and has been directly involved in 29 goals this season. In contrast, Mata has three goals and seven assists to his name. Having missed 66 games through injury since joining Madrid, Bale has kept himself fit since Christmas. It has been Zidane’s shift to a 4-4-2 diamond that has seen him struggle to get back into the team rather than his fitness. Equally, though, how would the 28-year-old stand up to the rigours