It always seems ludicrous doesn’t it? The champions needing to strengthen their squad, but in reality it is something that is ignored at your peril. Last summer Manchester City didn’t really add any genuine quality as United went out and added Robin van Persie and look how that ended up. For United the worst thing they can do now is to rest on their laurels. This means strengthening a side which, if I’m honest isn’t too convincing. For me this title was down to Sir Alex Ferguson’s ability rather than the squad in question and United were also lucky that City and Chelsea have been so poor. One of the names being constantly linked to Manchester United is that of Robert Lewandowski but for me that signing just doesn’t make sense.
First and foremost there is the simple reason that the last thing Manchester United need is another striker. With Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck on their books United would surely have to offload one of them before signing Lewandowski. That is without including young Angelo Henriquez who is out on loan. In my eyes the one most likely to get bumped would be Javier Hernandez but I think that would be foolish. The Mexican offers a wonderful goal getting option from the bench and it would be naïve to think he is easily replaceable. Of course he must be frustrated with a lack of playing time at Old Trafford but unless he forces a move away he is not worth losing.
Then there is Wayne Rooney, perhaps United’s biggest headache at the moment. Although it is reported that the striker wants his way out of United for good this time around, Manchester United have insisted that Rooney is not for sale. So if you are dabbled in a sport bet, that whether Rooney will continue to be a United player next season, let’s keep the ball rolling.
On his day Rooney is an unplayable, energetic pit-bull, capable of taking the game from teams and squeezing the life out of them. He is a nightmare for defenders and a joy for his teammates. The only problem is he doesn’t have too many of those games at the moment and his current form is erratic at best. He has been relegated from the starting line-up and he has been experimented with in centre midfield. For me this is somewhere that Rooney should play at the end of his career, when his engine starts to slow down but right now he should still be used as part of a front two. Signing Lewandowski could again signal the end of Rooney’s career at Old Trafford but with the wages he is on there would only be a couple of clubs in the world who would take him on.
Danny Welbeck has had, by his standards a fairly good season. He has played a lot of his matches on the wing but his work rate and general team play have improved immensely. I can’t imagine that Sir Alex would have invested so much time in him this season if he was going to throw him away at the end of it. He surely still has a part to play in Manchester United’s season as far as I’m concerned.
The other problem United will face is their formation. In order to play Lewandowski they would probably need to play either him or Robin van Persie out wide and that would just be a waste of both their talents. Someone like Welbeck can function on the wings but Lewandowski and van Persie just can’t.
Then there is the price. £25 million may not seem like a lot but despite their wealth Manchester United aren’t exactly rolling in money. They can’t afford to make huge signings like Manchester City or Chelsea and therefore need to be more sensible with their transfers. To that extent you would think if Manchester United were going to make a £20 million plus transfer it would be a central midfielder or a winger, not a striker.
For me Lewandowski would represent a fantastic piece of business, just not for Manchester United. If they hadn’t signed van Persie last summer then it would be a brilliant match but because of the Dutchman’s presence Lewandowski just seems irrelevant. It doesn’t seem like a worthwhile signing and despite the Pole’s obvious talents I just can’t see it happening.