Why Manchester United need to move on from Gareth Bale
By Stephen Fox
Despite the constant links with a switch to Old Trafford, Manchester United need to give up on their constant pursuit of Gareth Bale and move on from the Welshman.
There always seems to be a player linked to Manchester United every transfer window regardless of whether it is true or not. For years, it always every transfer window that Wesley Sneijder was on the verge of joining Manchester United and now, every summer it seems that Gareth Bale is linked with a move to Old Trafford.
It likely isn’t without any merit, as United have appeared to have interest in the Welshman for some time. When Bale was on the verge of joining Real Madrid from Tottenham for a then world record fee, United had actually bid even more than Madrid for the player and it was only this summer that Jose Mourinho admitted he was interested in bringing Bale to United.
The constant links shouldn’t be too surprising, as United are in desperate need of a right-winger with neither Juan Mata nor Henrikh Mkhitaryan performing greatly in said role and Jesse Lingard, while being a perfectly good squad player, isn’t good enough to be a nail on starter for the club. It is an area on the pitch that United need to improve on and adding another player in that position who is capable of scoring goals and on paper, a player like Gareth Bale certainly fits the bill in many ways.
He would be a big name signing that would fit United’s global appeal, he is British and is accustomed to the Premier League himself from his time at Tottenham, where he showcased how good of a player he can be by helping Tottenham finish to a fourth place spot in 2012 and helping them to their then best points tally in 2013. When Bale was at Tottenham, there was no doubt that he was one of the best players in the league and in fact the world, which helped cement his then record-breaking move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2013.
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For United to splash out what will no doubt be at the very least £60 million pounds along with high wages that would put him as one of United’s top earners would be insanity. Bale cannot be trusted to be relied upon for appearances and the very last thing that Mourinho needs at the moment is another injury prone player in his squad. United signing Bale would be a huge gamble and it’s hard to see it being a gamble that will pay off.
It is worth asking the question if these injuries have taken a toll on Bale the player? His form hasn’t been great even when he is playing and he doesn’t seem to be the same kind of player that he once was and it would perhaps be in United’s best interests for United to move on from Bale and look for another target to play on the right-wing.
It can be hard to see who United get for that position, a player like Alexis Sanchez would be perfect for United and for the way that Jose Mourinho likes to play but it would appear that he has already made his mind up for a move to Manchester City.
Related Story: Arsenal woried they might lose Alexis Sanchez to PSG
Regardless though, United need to move on from Gareth Bale. It is evident by now that he is not the same player as he once was and given the rift between United and Real Madrid over the last couple of seasons with frustrations between both clubs trying to purchase the others players, namely David De Gea and Alvaro Morata, signing Bale will prove to be a very difficult experience and pursuit for United and one that they don’t need to be getting themselves involved in, especially with the new transfer deadline starting a week before the new season kicks off.