Why Manchester United are trying to sign the wrong Real Madrid star
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Updated 23/06/2015 at 12:31 GMT
Paul Parker explains why Manchester United are going after the wrong man in Sergio Ramos as they plot a reported £150m spending spree.
Spanish Real Madrid football team player Sergio Ramos autographs a jersey in Havana, on June 16, 2015
Image credit: AFP
Manchester United are said to be ready to invest as much as £150 million on some senior players and there’s little doubt that they could do with a stronger spine, but I’m not so sure all of the names mentioned in the papers are the right targets to pursue.
United’s squad does need strengthening. At centre-half they have no considerable force or strength; in central midfield no one is standing out of note; and they have been lacking up front too.
But to my mind, the clearest issue is in central defence. That is United’s main weakness. Creativity in midfield was an issue as well last season and they do need something else in that area, but it’s the defence which must be the highest priority when Ed Woodward goes about his work in the transfer market.
This has to be the season for Louis van Gaal. They took a step forward by returning to the Champions League but now they need to have a go at winning something, even having a pop at the title or at least staying in touch for much of the season. And if they are going to do that they need an upgrade on Phil Jones.
I was reading recently that he could be given a new contract and that will surprise a few people. He hasn’t really nailed down a place and he is only playing because there is no one better. That’s why he gets away with it.
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Spain player and UNICEF ambassador Sergio Ramos (C) plays football with Cuban children in Havana June 16, 2015.
Image credit: Reuters
There is one name who has been constantly linked with a move to Old Trafford in the past week. What would Sergio Ramos bring to United? Lots of bookings, for a start. I personally don’t think he is the right man for the job. I question his discipline – his positional discipline and his general temperament too.
Look at the goal Real Madrid conceded against Juventus. That was because Ramos went out and charged after the ball, jumping into Paul Pogba. But Pogba just headed it back into a space where Alvaro Morata was able to score. If Ramos had kept his head instead of chasing after the ball like a lunatic there would have been no problem.
To play in the Premier League – where every game is a big game and you don’t get gimmes like you do at Real Madrid – you need a cool temperament. To be brutally honest, I am surprised United are even after him and if you are going to sign a Real Madrid centre-back, surely you go for Raphael Varane?
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Raphael Varane in action for France (AFP)
Image credit: AFP
He costs less money and will last longer; he is the up-and-coming star who has proved himself for club and country and is young enough that he still has plenty of improving to do. Varane will get better but Ramos is at his peak, there’s nowhere for him to go now.
I don’t think attempting to sign Ramos is realistic in any case. He has a €200m release clause and I think he is just using United to get a better deal for himself in Madrid, at the club that he loves. It’s all a tactic to extract more money when he signs his new contract. Saying ‘Manchester United’ puts the fear into Real Madrid but all he really wants is more money.
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Bastian Schweinsteiger of Bayern Munich holds the German Championship winners trophy as the team celebrate on the town hall balcony at Marienplatz in Munich
Image credit: Reuters
Bastian Schweinsteiger was the midfield target named and I have always liked him. It was so impressive how he converted from a winger into a central midfielder: he was temperamental before but developed into an integral player for Bayern Munich and Germany. But, again, I don’t think he is the right target for United.
Schweinsteiger is 30 now. You’ve already got someone in Michael Carrick who doesn’t have the legs to run around anymore. He can’t get about the park and while it suits him if the game is slow, he can’t play at a high tempo. Even though I like Schweinsteiger and I respect him a great deal, I don’t think he is the player who will reinvigorate the United midfield.
Signing a player like Schweinsteiger also hinders the progress of Ander Herrera, who was really making his mark towards the end of the season. Sir Alex Ferguson always said you shouldn’t knock a young player back when he is making progress.
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The agent of Karim Benzema has insisted that the striker does not want to leave Real Madrid following reports of a meeting with Manchester United
Image credit: Reuters
Karim Benzema would be a great purchase though. I love him as a player and it’s just his bad luck he is at a club where he will never be the main man. Cristiano Ronaldo will always demand the ball and always overshadow Benzema, even though he is a fantastic forward in his own right. Ronaldo needs to score to have a good game but Benzema doesn’t. He is a player who works hard and knits things together irrespective of whether he has his name on the scoresheet.
It took Real Madrid fans a while to appreciate what he does in attack but now Benzema is rightly loved there and I think that could be a big barrier to him leaving for United. The fans usually get what they want at Real Madrid and Florentino Perez could have a riot on his hands if he flogs him.
So two figures who don’t quite fit the bill and another who is hugely unlikely to move. Maybe United need to come up with some new targets for their £150 million splurge.
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