As it became more evident towards the start of a new season that the skillful bag of tricks Spaniard won’t be moving up the pecking order at Real Madrid anytime soon, the exit links started to trickle in their numbers.
And Manchester United were mentioned as prospective suitors who could lure the 24-year-old to Old Trafford, with Mourinho’s presence an underlying factor in helping to trigger a move.
Nothing concrete materialized, and it looked like both sides had moved on. But going by recent reports, a January swoop is being planned for the former Malaga star, and he’s touted to arrive as Rooney’s permanent replacement.
Would Francisco Román Alarcón be a perfect winter (or next summer) signing for the Red Devils? That would depend on some few insights which are highlighted below.
Isco has lost his magical touch
Truth be told, there hasn’t really been a season when the 2012 Golden Boy Awardee and La Liga Breakthrough Player of the same year sparked and lit up the scenes since his heralded Bernabeu arrival.
Now in his 4th season at Madrid, things have gone from bad to worse for Isco, as even Asensio is above him in the selection order. Just maybe Saturday’s uninspiring performance against Eibar sums up how poor Isco has become in recent seasons.
A move to the Theatre of Dreams won’t revive his once-promising top form, especially considering how patience isn’t particularly one of Mourinho’s great features.
And also weighing in the fact that, no struggling player has rediscovered his mojo under the Portuguese. Falcao, Pedro and now Depay. Isco won’t be the one to change things all of a sudden.
Clash in playing patterns
Pogba’s perfect role is still a mystery undergoing its unravelling process, and the experiments and tryouts would likely continue all season until a winning formula if there’d ever be one is found.
With the Portuguese still trying to find the ideal Pogba position in his setup, bringing Isco would further complicate the issue.
His attacking instincts would make him ignore his defensive duties, and given how he prefers to only go forward, playing him as an attacking midfielder behind the main striker wouldn’t favour the team’s defensive attacking style.
He has a higher chance of becoming surplus to requirements
Despite being able to play in a wide range of attacking roles, Isco is more likely to become a permanent benchwarmer than becoming a decent substitute.
Mkhitaryan, Depay, Rooney and Martial (considering their current first team status with respect to the last 2 league games) are options for the attacking midfield role or any other place behind the number 9, so it doesn’t look very likely that the current Isco would leapfrog them all upon arrival.
And at the moment, Mata is becoming that player whom Jose has always wanted him to be while they were at Chelsea. He isn’t about to take his foot off the gas.
Can he make the transition at this point in his career?
Isco’s career has headed south, and it won’t take a sudden u-turn at Manchester United or a big club.
He could ply the Balotelli route, which seems to be working well at the moment, or the Falcao’s, another player slowly rediscovering form at Monaco.
United and Madrid are only a level apart, and he would need to put in a lot of work in a club that isn’t moving at snail speed in its bid to return to the top pronto.
Add in the fact that it would take him a while to adapt to EPL football, and it would be agreed the move could be ill-fated in advance. Isco and Manchester United don’t need each other, at least not at the moment.