Should Manchester United sign Gareth Bale? I’d rather give Real Madrid a virus than £100m after what they’ve done to us this summer
Sam Peoples weighs up the pros and cons of the Welsh flier moving to Old Trafford - and comes to a firm conclusion
IT wouldn’t be a proper summer transfer window without Gareth Bale being linked with a move to Manchester United, would it?
Perennially, the Welshman is touted as a top target for Old Trafford. It happened under David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and now Jose Mourinho, so we are no stranger to the rumours.
Once again they are back with a bang this summer after comments from Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane that he can’t promise Bale will still be at the Santiago Bernabeu next season.
Could Bale be on his way out? Could his move to United finally happen four years after we were priced out of signing him from Tottenham Hotspur?
If Ed Woodward could make it happen, Ed Woodward would make it happen.
Nobody is more obsessed with a marquee signing than Ed and if Bale is really available, you can bet your house he’s already made the call to Real Madrid about him.
But is he what United need? Would he actually be a good signing?
Nobody can question Bale’s ability.
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The 27-year-old is one of the world’s best players when he’s in full flow and there’s no doubt he ticks the box in terms of Jose Mourinho’s search for a wide player.
He’d walk straight into our starting XI, into most starting XI’s in the world, and he’d improve United’s attack straight away.
A front three of Bale and Anthony Martial or Henrikh Mkhitaryan flanking either Romelu Lukaku or Marcus Rashford up front? That’s frighteningly good.
However, everybody can question Bale’s fitness and herein lies the problem.
Bale played less than 2,000 minutes in total for Real Madrid in the 2016/17 season, down nearly 400 from 2,384 minutes in 2015/16 and significantly down from both 3,409 minutes in 2014/15 and 2946 minutes in 2013/14, his debut season at the club.
On his day, Bale is superb but his glass ankles have come back to haunt him in Spain.
And that in itself is one reason why Madrid would consider selling him, as well as the fact the likes of Marco Asensio are bursting through into the first-team squad - they’ve already got a replacement were he to leave.
Cristiano Ronaldo is an irreplaceable Galactico at Madrid, Bale isn’t but that doesn’t mean United should move for him.
Bale should now be at the peak of his powers but injury problems flaring up again is a massive red flag considering we’d have to break the world transfer record again to sign him.
He’d be a significant signing, one of the biggest this summer, and United’s squad would improve with him in it, but in style he is similar to what United already have. For pacy wingers who cuts inside, we already have Martial and Mkhitaryan.
If we are going to sign a wide player, I’d be very surprised if it was Bale, even if Woodward was desperate for it to happen.
For me, the time to sign Bale has come and gone.
For the price he’d cost, the style he’d bring and the risks associated with it, United could spend their money smarter elsewhere - and a lot less of it, too.
Mourinho’s signings so far have been specialists in key areas designed to fix a problem he’s identified in the squad.
And, as good as Bale is, I don’t think he would resolve United’s issues up front and bring a balance and variety to Mourinho’s attacking options.
Plus, would Real Madrid really sell to United after what’s gone on this summer with David de Gea and Alvaro Morata? I’d rather sell that mob a virus than hand over £100m-plus for Bale.
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