Alarm bells ring at Man United
WE will find out in the next fortnight just how much Manchester United want Jose Mourinho,
pictured, to be their manager. Back him with the signings he wants and the club will send a strong message that Mourinho is their man to take the fight to Manchester City.
Fail to do so and it shows they do not believe he can take them forward.
I can see both sides of the standoff between him and Ed Woodward. Mourinho will have seen rivals City and Liverpool back their managers in the transfer window. He will feel he deserves to be treated the same way, after finishing second and reaching the final of the FA Cup.
The problem is that having already spent £360million in the past two seasons, Mourinho, pictured, has gone into this close season demanding another five recruits.
Since arriving at Old Trafford, he has strengthened almost every position in the team.
He has bought one of the best defensive midfielders in Nemanja Matic, an attacking midfielder in Pogba who has just dazzled on the world stage and serious firepower in Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez.
Yet throughout United’s pre-season tour, all Mourinho has done is moan. He sounds like someone trying to engineer an exit.
Alarm bells will be ringing in the United boardroom. Why back him with another £300m if they are soon to be faced with having to find another manager?
The choice United face is simple. Buy Harry Maguire, buy another player and let Mourinho be happy. If they don’t he will continue to make his feelings known. But how much longer will the board tolerate his outbursts?
Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale has the qualities to fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Juventus, the Spanish side’s new manager Julen Lopetegui has said.
Bale struggled to hold on to his place in the starting XI under previous manager Zinedine Zidane and said after his match-winning display in last season’s Champions League final against Liverpool that he craved regular firstteam action.
Speaking ahead of his team’s pre-season encounter against Manchester United in Miami yesterday, Lopetegui said the 29-year-old Welshman’s immediate future was with the Spanish giants.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the main players in the recent history of Real Madrid.
“He expressed a desire to leave and we allowed him to. Gareth Bale is a magnificent player with so many qualities. He can help fill the void,” Lopetegui said.
Ronaldo joined Italian champions Juventus on a four-year contract for 100 million euros earlier this month, signalling the end of nine years in Madrid.
Lopetegui was keen to stress that the Portuguese’s departure represented a “fantastic opportunity” for Bale, who has been linked by Spanish media with a move away from the club.
“I don’t walk to talk about hypothetical situations,” Lopetegui said, dismissing reports of Bale’s possible return to the Premier League with United and his former team Tottenham Hotspur.
“If this is the squad I have at start of season I’ll be a happy man... he (Bale) is with the team.
“He’s happy and aligned with our goals. It is the start of an exciting path for us.”
Real begin their season with the Uefa Super Cup against Europa League winners Atletico Madrid on August 15. – Reuters