Real Madrid midfielder, and the world’s most expensive transfer of all-time, Gareth Bale is having a bit of a rough time in the Spanish capital, at the moment.
The fans aren’t happy with the Welshman’s performances and the local press has chosen him as the fall-guy while Real squander pole position in La Liga, which inevitably culminates in rumors of Bale wanting and/or actively seeking a transfer away from Madrid. The most commonly “linked” destination for Bale is to a whole host of club in the Premier League.
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Legendary Manchester United midfielder-turned-pundit Paul Scholes knows exactly where Bale’s ideal landing place would be, should he decide to leave Real, and – this is going to shock you — it’s Man United.
Scholes went so far as to call Bale a “perfect fit” for United in his most recent column for the Independent:I watched El Clasico on Sunday and it was clear Bale was having a hard time of it. The reaction to defeat to Barcelona and the stick he has received from the Spanish media and some fans will only make it more difficult. He had a great first season and I admire his determination to fight for his place in the most competitive squad in world football.
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My feeling is that he would be perfect for Manchester United. Of course, as a fan of my former club I would like to see him there but, looking at it objectively, I always felt that Bale was a natural fit for United as he developed at Tottenham from a left back into one of the best attacking footballers in the country.
He would be loved at Old Trafford. In return I believe he could turn Louis van Gaal’s team into serious title contenders next season.
It’s obviously not a huge leap for Scholes to say Bale, one of the world’s very best attacking players and a Brit himself, would be a great fit at arguably the biggest club in Premier League.
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But Bale is exactly the kind of player United haven’t been able to attract and sign the last handful of years, particularly since Alex Ferguson’s departure. Angel di Maria is a fantastic player, but they were only able to sign him because he was made available by Real. Same goes for Robin van Persie, Radamel Falcao and Juan Mata. Not only would Bale be a huge coup on the field, but he’d represent a return to prominence in the transfer market that says loud and clear, “Manchester United are back.”
Poor Di Maria, though, right? Two straight summers of being shipped away to make room, in part, for the same player — that’s rough.