Manchester United are finding that securing a megastar striker this summer is becoming difficult and expensive. After moving on from Zlatan, the Red Devils are looking for an effective striker without overpaying. Since Mourinho has a history of making overlooked attacking players shine, should they invest in Morata?
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the increasingly complicated situation between Manchester United and Real Madrid over star striker Alvaro Morata. It was reported last month that Morata’s camp and United had agreed in principle on a transfer deal.
The crux of this complex situation is simple economics; Real Madrid don’t want to get rid of Morata as much as United want him. And as typical corporations do, Madrid are looking to profit as much as possible on their Madrid-based striker. After sending Morata to Juventus back in 2014, the Galacticos bought him back last year for $35 million.
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John Brewin of ESPNFC published a great piece on the United manager and his proven ability to improve undervalued strikers and attackers. He compares Mourinhos’ uncanny ability to connect with and inspire players who’s careers followed a similar path to his coaching career.
Similar to the slow-burning genesis of Diego Costa and Didier Drogba’s careers, Morata is a player who has not had the opportunity to show how good he can be. He is an extremely efficient forward, and boasts one of the worlds best goal conversion rates. At Juve the young Spaniard had a short stint in the spotlight but wasn’t quite developed and didn’t fall to a club where he could really take over as the main man up top.
Real Madrid is both the best and worst of places a young footballer can be, depending on the player and where they are in their respective career. As for the good, Morata has become a European champion with his hometown club. As for the not so good, he didn’t necessarily play a crucial role in attack.
United should pursue Morata because he is a striker that Mourinho can build his young attacking squad around. The Spaniard is excellent in the challenge because of his strength and size. He plays with his back to goal, similar to Ibrahimovic. He is also much quicker than Zlatan and potential United target Romelu Lukaku of Everton. At the end of the day, the United brass have to answer one question: is he worth it?
The suits at Old Trafford certainly do not care what I think, but Alvaro Morata is absolutely worth it. He came up through arguably the best academy in the world at Valdebebas in Madrid. He’s intelligent, fast, strong, and pretty deadly in the air. He’s shown he can perform at the highest level consistently. But most of all, he is young and hungry.
Manchester United and their top manager were ready to shell out the same amount for Atletico talisman Antoine Griezmann, and reports say the Red Devils could be willing to pay even more for Everton’s star striker Lukaku. While the Belgian and the Frenchman are more accomplished and proven in Europe and their respective leagues, Morata is a better long-term option.