Manchester United must show restraint with Tottenham star
Manchester United shouldn’t overpay for Danny Rose
It’s very clear that Jose Mourinho wants to bring Danny Rose to Old Trafford as soon as possible. The Special One isn’t happy with his current options at left back and sees the Tottenham star as a perfect remedy. That does not, however, mean that United should bid for the Spurs star with reckless abandon.
Instead, this is an instance where United need to exercise a healthy amount of caution. They’ve already been far too public with their interest in the England star. Recent reports claim that Mourinho and company are willing to pay upwards of £40 million for the 27-year-old’s services. Preferably, they’d like to include Luke Shaw in the deal to offset some of the price.
Tottenham are likely to react to that report with some interest. Spurs continue to insist that relations between Mauricio Pochettino and Rose are good, but that doesn’t feel entirely genuine. Rose made it clear this summer he wants one more big contract. He isn’t likely to break the bank at Spurs.
If Tottenham are willing to negotiate, they’re going to demand a large fee from their Premier League rivals. Spurs will see £40 million as a starting point for negotiations. Don’t be surprised to see them quote United somewhere north of £50 million if they really want to sign Rose. Pochettino and company will correctly point out that Rose and Kyle Walker are players of similar stature and that means the North London club should be compensated accordingly. City paid over £50 million to acquire Walker this summer.
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That price should give United serious pause. When he’s fully fit, Rose is arguably the top left back in England. However, he missed over 8 months of action recently due to an ankle injury. While he looks to be well on his way to a full recovery, he isn’t back to 100% yet. There’s no guarantee he can fully regain the world-class athleticism that made him such a star prior to his injury.
Even if he does recover fully, we’re still talking about a 27-year-old fullback who is very dependent on his athletic gifts to perform. Even the most optimistic projections would conclude Rose only has a few more seasons of peak form to offer. United would be paying a real premium for a player who is only capable of playing his best football for the next two or three seasons.
That isn’t a fact that’s likely going to scare off Mourinho. He wants to win silverware immediately and isn’t overly concerned with the club’s long-term health. It should, however, give pause to Ed Woodward and other officials at Old Trafford. It’s a logical question to wonder whether or not this sort of money could be spent more efficiently on a left back who can hold down the position for more years.
Ironically, that was exactly what Shaw was supposed to do. He played outstanding football under Pochettino at Southampton and looked poised to become England’s left back for the next decade. Unfortunately, a gruesome leg injury derailed his progress and he’s been mired in Mourinho’s doghouse for the better part of two years. There would be a certain amount of poetic justice to seeing him swapped for Rose.
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Danny Rose is certainly capable of providing Manchester United a real boost, but the club need to think long and hard about just how much transfer cash he is really worth. If the club aren’t careful, Tottenham could really make them pay through the nose for a player who isn’t really capable of helping them for all that long.