Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal is ready to spend big again this summer given the comments he made today regarding the club’s transfer ambitions. The Dutchman made it clear that the club is not done spending this transfer window, and that they need to go out and get a Galactico type superstar. It will not be living legend and former Red Devils Cristiano Ronaldo however.
Van Gaal officially ruled that out, although we never believed that rumor to begin with. The CR7 returning narrative just never passed the smell test to us.
Van Gaal dismissed the re-signing Ronaldo idea as too expensive: “Of course I would love it. But that’s not possible. You have Ronaldo and then you have how much Manchester United want to spend…”
So rule out that idea. Here’s what Van Gaal did say about what kind of player they’re looking for. He made a few comparisons.
“Chelsea have Eden Hazard, he can always make goals.”
“Manchester City have Aguero, it’s the same type. Barcelona have Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez. We, as Manchester United, have to compete with these clubs. So we have to look also for these kind of players.”
“When it is possible to buy, for a reasonable price, players from that level, we shall do that, because they are better.”
“So I think with Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Memphis Depay and Matteo Darmian, we are better than last year.”
“But we have to be much better and we can use much more creativity.”
“And so we have to compare. Ashley Young had a fantastic season last time, but he is not a Neymar, and we have to compete with that kind of class.”
So if and when United goes big this summer who will it be? Who’s realistic? If I had to guess, and I would have said these even before he mentioned wingers who can score, I would go with Gareth Bale. I’m not saying that it’s going to happen, I’m just saying that Bale seems to be the kind of player he might be talking about here.
Plus, I think he’s the most realistic purchase the club can make in terms of any potential Galactico.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country.
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