Manchester United are desperate to solve the midfield crisis, and acquiring the talented Bruno Fernandes is the first step towards this rebuilding process.
The midfield area has remained an ominous blindspot throughout the season and they are ready to make amends by splashing out heavily on quality midfielders. An established defensive midfielder is required for stability; Nemanja Matic is ageing and simply cannot cover the same ground he used to be able to in his prime at Chelsea. So Red Devils, “Better Call Saul” to solve your midfield woes (Pogba’s injury and his dip in form aggravated this problem).
And they have been doing exactly the same- Saul Niguez can be the perfect solution to this problem. Atletico Madrid may be forced to sell the Spanish ace at a cut-price £75 million, a fee well below the asking price of £132 million buyout clause, if Spanish FA reportedly hand Champions League berths to the clubs currently occupying the top four spots.
Atletico Madrid in the sixth position would drop into the Europa League and this would have serious consequences on the club’s financial health. The Red Devils will surely take advantage of this situation and cash-in on the talented midfielder. They are even trying to lure him with a huge wage increase, pushing up his £115,000-a-week wages closer to the £200,000-a-week mark.
Back in 2014, Saul was scouted by Phil Neville when he was on loan at Rayo Vallecano. He was an inexperienced midfielder attempting to prove himself and earn a regular starting spot under Diego Simeone at Atletico. So, Neville and his staff opted for Ander Herrera who eventually joined United. He was secretly scouted this time to make personal checks during Atletico’s triumph of Liverpool in the Champions League.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a huge admirer of the 25-year old and feels that he ticks all the boxes to play alongside Bruno Fernandes. He is now considered to be the complete midfielder in Europe capable of playing in a number of roles – be it wide on either flank, as a defensive midfielder or as a no.8 with attacking license. He can sit at the base of midfield and act as either destroyer or creator and is one of the crispest passers in the game.
The Spaniard is capable of reliably finding his team-mates with through balls, as well as hitting sharp diagonal passes to spread the play and launch breakaways, the qualities United have been yearning for quite a long time. But his one trait that stands apart is his determination to play at the highest level. He played for two seasons with an internal catheter, after a freak collision left him with a kidney haematoma on his Champions League debut against Bayer Leverkusen back in 2015. He revealed that he would literally urinate blood after every training session and game. This incredible determination meant that not only did he not fade away with serious injuries, but he actually used it to propel him on.
Saul would have a great impact on the United campaign and would be exciting to watch him play alongside Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes in a dream midfield setup. His determination and dedication towards football will certainly escalate him and his club (new club…) to greater heights.
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