Manchester United Interested in Real Betis Midfielder

Manchester United have had a poor start to the season and because of this, Eric ten Hag’s side is looking to sign Real Betis midfielder Guido Rodriguez to help strengthen their midfield.

According to the Spanish website AS:

"United have begun contacts for another target: Guido Rodríguez. The profile of the Argentine, however, is very popular with the Red Devils’ board."

Eric ten Hag’s side has also been linked with Adrien Rabiot and AS added:

"He (Rodriguez) is the first alternative to the Frenchman from Juventus.The fact that América de México (Rodriguez’s former club) has 30% of a future sale, makes Betis want to receive at least 25 ‘million’ with the transfer of the midfielder."

Who is Guido Rodriguez?

Guido Rodriguez is a 28-year-old Argentine defensive midfielder, who can also play as a box-to-box midfielder. He started his career in his homeland with River Plate where he made 16 appearances, scoring one goal. He also played 16 times whilst on loan at Defensa y Justicia.

Rodriguez then headed to Mexico. Firstly he played for Tijuana, where he scored 5 goals in 42 games before moving to Club América. This is where his career really got going, he made 122 appearances for the side and won the Liga MX Apertura in 2018 and the Copa MX Clausura in 2019.

He also won the MX Defensive Midfielder of the Year award twice and the MX Balón de Oro (the award given to the best player in the Liga MX).

This form got Rodriguez a move to Europe with the Spanish side Real Betis in 2020 and he has since played 100 times for the club. Rodriguez also won the Copa Del Rey with the side in 2022.

He has 24 caps for his country with one goal, which was scored against Uruguay in the 2021 Copa America. This was a tournament that Argentina would go on to win and he also played the full 90 minutes of the Finalissima as his side beat Italy 3-0 at Wembley.

What would he bring to Manchester United?

Manchester United’s midfield needs strengthening. The “McFred” partnership of Scott McTominay and Fred has come under a lot of criticism and they performed badly as the club were defeated 2-1 by Brighton on the opening weekend of the Premier League.

Rodriguez would sure up the midfield and his defensive mentality would allow creative players like Christian Eriksen or Bruno Fernandes more freedom in an attacking midfield role.

He is a player who has played at the highest level in Spain and for his country and should add stability to the United midfield. He will be reunited with his Argentina teammate Lisandro Martinez and offer protection in front of the defence.

His experience will also be a great asset for United, particularly for young Argentine forward, Alejandro Garnacho, at the club. It could be quite a lineup for Argentina fans to see Martinez at the back, Rodriguez in central midfield, and Garnacho upfront lining up for the Red Devils.

Ten Hag’s Manchester United side faces Brentford on Saturday and they need a result as back-to-back defeats would be a nightmare start to his reign as manager. The midfield is one of the main areas they need to work on and Rodriguez could be the man to solve this problem.