da pinnacle： Manchester United target Goncalo Guedes could soon be on the move away from Benfica after being dropped for the Portuguese side’s game at the weekend, which The Sun claims can only mean an exit is looming.
What’s the word?
da dobrowin： Highly-rated youngster Guedes, 20, has been dubbed the ‘new Ronaldo’ in Portuguese football and has attracted the attention of Manchester United, along with French giants Paris Saint-Germain. With the attacker on the bench at the weekend, it’s now reported an exit is set to go ahead.
Portuguese outlet Record intensify the claims by stating his position on the bench is evidence he could be on the move, whilst The Sun believes Guedes is more likely to move to Manchester United than he is to head to PSG.
Valued at around £26m, Guedes is one of Portugual’s finest young players to emerge in recent years and an exit from his home nation is likely to take place in an upcoming transfer window, if the player isn’t on the move this month.
Do United need him?
Short answer no. Firstly, United already have a wealth of attacking talent out wide, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard on the books, whilst Marcus Rashford has been deployed there regularly due to Zlatan Ibrahimovic occupying the central position.
Memphis Depay’s lack of football before his switch to Lyon this month shows that United cannot offer regular football in this area and it would be a strange if they were to sanction a move for Guedes, who’d cost upwards of £25m.
On top of this, the label of the ‘new Cristiano Ronaldo’ should raise concerns. United have regularly been linked to players with this tag over the past few years, including signing the likes of Depay and Bebe, but things have never really panned out.
Of course, succeeding Ronaldo is a bold task that’s nigh impossible to accomplish but the signings United have made have not even come close. Having seen Depay fail at Old Trafford, signing another expensive young prodigy in Guedes would be the wrong move.
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