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It Makes No Sense For Manchester United To Sign This £31m Barcelona Midfield Ace – Agreed?

Andre Gomes
Andre Gomes

Why Manchester United Should Not Sign Andre Gomes From Barcelona

The rumour mills never stop within the footballing world and Don Balon, a Spanish media outlet has reported that Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes might be on his way to Manchester United. Jose Mourinho, the United boss has reportedly expressed interest in the Portuguese player and wants him at Old Trafford. Apparently, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has also encouraged the former Madrid coach to take Gomes under his wings, as he believes that Mourinho can revive the 24-year-old’s career.

It was Luis Enrique who brought Gomes to Camp Nou at the start of the 2016/17 season, for a hefty £31m fee. Since then, he has failed to settle down or even figure out a proper position for himself. He is technically good but lacks vision and has not displaced Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets or Ivan Rakitic from the Barca midfield. In fact, the youngster has flattered to deceive in most of the games that he has featured in and was often targeted by fans and pundits alike for failing to deliver when he was needed to.

Despite having a good outing for Portugal in Euro’16, Enrique failed to extract the best out of him, which is why the Barcelona were so eager to offload him in the summer. In fact, the former Benfica footballer almost joined West Ham United in the summer, and when that failed, he was heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

This season, the midfielder has been pushed even further down the pecking order, after the arrival of Paulinho. He has featured for a total of 29 minutes in the 6 games that Barcelona have played so far, and needless to say, he has done nothing of note. Moreover, the purchase of Ousmane Dembele and the subsequent free role handed to Lionel Messi has made Gomes a luxury that Barcelona can afford to do without. The management is eager to recoup the fee they shelled out for him and United can buy him, but do the Red Devils need him?

Mourinho has used the 4-2-3-1 and the 4-3-3 this season, and that is not likely to change anytime soon. Formations like these require a midfielder capable of not only being able to pick passes with ease but also who’d not be afraid to tackle hard for the ball. Gomes lacks both these qualities, with his only excellent attribute being his ability to dribble well, something the club already have in Paul Pogba.

Moreover, the presence of Marouane Fellaini, Ander Herrera, and Michael Carrick means that it is most likely that the Portuguese prodigy would spend more time on the bench. As such, it makes no sense for United to spend so much on someone who has not lived up to his potential at all and nor is likely to. Even if it means that United view him as Michael Carrick’s successor, Gomes is simply not capable of being so.