Manchester United eye Real Madrid star as Bruno Fernandes backup
Lack of quality in depth has restrained Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from resting Bruno Fernandes.
Coupled alongside Paul Pogba, Manchester United racked up a number of goalscoring performances with Bruno Fernandes pulling the strings behind Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, and Mason Greenwood. But, an exhausting array of fixtures meant that attacking firepower lost its momentum towards the end.
Once again, despite promising signs suggesting a prolific forward unit, a lack of quality in depth to shed the workload has become glaringly evident as Bruno Fernandes and his partners have been ragged since the FA Cup disappointment against Chelsea.
It could be argued that a demanding brand of football played since the resumption would result in players fighting for crucial points towards the end, but a lustrous bench strength could have subsided this scenario to an extent.
Thus, in the upcoming transfer market, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to embellish his squad depth by adding quality players who could compete for starting spots rather than acting as incubators for first-teamers by coming on when the game’s course has been decided.
When Bruno Fernandes arrived at Man Utd, they were 14 points behind Leicester.
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) July 26, 2020
Today, they qualified for the Champions League. Here's how he transformed their season. pic.twitter.com/6jhNeZ9s54
Aside from the attack, attacking midfield needs a few tweaks, too, considering no accomplished creative outlet other than Bruno Fernandes. For that, Jack Grealish and Donny van de Beek have been identified as top targets for the number ten role.
However, considering the current economic climate and lofty demands of Borussia Dortmund for Jadon Sancho, Manchester United are looking for cheaper options to address other areas of their squad.
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Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez has emerged as one such candidate for the United bosses. Serving the last year of his contract, Los Blancos are eager to sell their Columbian playmaker this summer to muster up some funds to subside the losses in the COVID-19 pandemic, as per Express Sport.
Fiorentino Perez, Real Madrid president, is expecting a fee of £23million for the player signed in 2014. Everton, with boss Carlo Ancelotti being Rodriguez’s admirer, was previously linked with the 29-year-old. However, currently, it seems United have pushed themselves ahead in the race.
"Zinedine Zidane is ready to let Rodriguez leave as he is well down the pecking order at the Bernabeu.Real will accept offers in the region of £23m for the 29-year-old who has just one year left on his current contract, having met with the player’s representatives and agreeing that he can leave. (Express Sport)"
Understanding suggests that Man United could start the dialogue with Real Madrid as early as next week, having learnt their Champions League fate against Leicester City.
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Given James Rodriguez’s ability to operate in multiple positions, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could make a genuine attempt to sign the player as United seek to implement a flowing brand of football at Old Trafford.
For the attacking midfielder, having attracted interest from Italy and France, a host of clubs could vie for the services of Rodriguez should Real Madrid declare the 29-year-old transfer listed.