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| De Gea Manchester United Goalkeeper |
It has almost become one of football’s written in stone commandments –
buy a Spanish/Portuguese/South American player and he’ll be happy for as long
as there is no interest from La Liga. Once Real Madrid or Barcelona’s noses
start to twitch, the English club can kiss their star goodbye. And that even
goes for Manchester United.
Louis van Gaal probably knew as much when he signed Victor Valdes back
in January. Everyone wondered why a goalkeeper who had won everything in his
career at Barcelona was coming to be second choice but Valdes's camp let it be
known that he wasn’t going to be second choice for very long.
Real Madrid still need to do the deal with Manchester United for David
de Gea but the classic Madrid tactic of leaking that personal terms have
already been reached now make it as good as inevitable that the transfer will go
through.
United have not been able to keep De Gea, just as they
could not keep Cristiano Ronaldo, just as Liverpool could not keep Luis Suarez
and Arsenal in the end had to send Cesc Fabregas back to Barcelona. Iberian and
South American players grow up watching Real Madrid and Barca so once they have
the chance to play for them there is little that Premier League clubs can do,
and calling on loyalty is whistling in the wind.
Why is De Gea going to show any loyalty to Manchester United when he
showed none to Atletico Madrid, leaving after just a season in the first team?
Fernando Torres served the club for years and wore the captain’s armband, De
Gea’s heartstrings were never pulled in the same way and he’s not about to get
all misty-eyed over his time at Old Trafford. He will miss playing for Van
Gaal, he’ll miss strolling 200 yards down the street to knock on the door of
neighbours Ander Herrera and Juan Mata, and he will miss the support he has
always received at Old Trafford.
But he’ll have another top coach to work with next
season, Cristiano Ronaldo will probably be his new neighbour, if like most
players he moves into the exclusive ‘La Finca’ area of the Spanish capital, and
he’ll have new supporters who adore him.
And they will adore him. Real may have the most fickle fans in football
but he comes at a time when the Santiago Bernabeu is sick of warring factions either
whistling or cheering Iker Casillas. De Gea will unite everyone behind one
goalkeeper. And of course he is Spanish – soon to be the national side's No 1 -
so he will be accepted without exception.
The fact that Gareth Bale has not been universally supported and yet is
still determined to stick it out at Madrid, despite Manchester United’s
interest, might suggest that England’s most famous club is losing its allure.
But Bale is a special case – a football crazy kid from Cardiff who grew
up wearing a Madrid shirt and wanting to play for Real. Most other British
players would still rather make it at Old Trafford than the Bernabeu. And
United’s reputation still travels far with stories of Pep Guardiola looking
around Old Trafford and telling his close friends that he would love to manage
them one day, making it into the excellent Pep Confidential biography published
last year.
United can still draw in the best but if they want the best to stay
forever then they should make sure they are from Manchester or Merseyside, and
not Madeira or Madrid.
That type of talent will always walk away as soon as the giants of La
Liga come calling.
Source:dailymailsport
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