From ‘done deal’ to ‘he hasn’t even spoken to them’ in the space of a weekend, it’s been a rollercoaster for Manchester United and Ilkay Gundogan. Reports on Friday night suggested that a £21.5m switch has been all but sealed, yet BVB’s sporting director Michael Zorc responded just hours later to well and truly pour cold water on such claims.
Who to believe at this stage is unclear, but one thing’s for certain, missing out on Gundogan will be a big blow for the Red Devils. Why? Well, here are FIVE reasons…
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Perfect replacement for Carrick
Michael Carrick has been a key man for United in recent weeks. Since his return from injury, the deep-lying playmaker has been the creative pivot in the Red Devils’ engine room, dictating the game from deep with his metronomic passing and ice cool composure. However, Louis van Gaal’s side have been without their man for the last two games (Chelsea and Everton), and have lost both.
That shows his level of importance, and with United eyeing Gundogan as his long-term successor, it suggests that they need him dearly. The German, like Carrick, operates from deep and is rarely wasteful in his passing, making him a solid like for like replacement.
Top class midfielder
Gundogan is undoubtedly a talent. In his young career the 24-year-old’s already won the German league and cup and has also scored in the biggest game in club football: the Champions League Final. These achievements are even more impressive given his injury record over the past year, which cost him a World Cup winner’s medal, too! A player of such quality would surely be of benefit to LVG.
Need to build for Champions League action
With Champions League qualification looking likely - even with back-to-back losses – United look set to be taking on a vastly increased fixture schedule. More games will require more players, and better opponents and increased expectation will require additions to be of a higher standard. Gundogan fits the bill, and would be able to bring his domestic and European experience as well as youthful nature to LVG’s squad.
More effective than Man United’s current crop
A quick glance at Gundogan’s average stats per game shows that he’s a little more effective in an attacking sense that United’s current options. While his assist proficiency is not as high as Ander Herrera’s and his pass completion cannot match that of Carrick, he creates more chances, plays the ball forward with greater regularity and supplies his attackers with more key passes.
Sends out a bad message
With reports having claimed that a deal was ‘all but done’ on Friday night, to miss out on Gundogan now would be a little embarrassing. If a the swoop goes through it can be put down to Dortmund ‘acting up’, but should Manchester City or Arsenal land the playmaker, it will not look good from United’s point of view, while outsiders will question their transfer clout.