Manchester United's pursuit of ex-Stoke andWest Hamstriker Marko Arnautovic leaves many fans a little disappointed. It is no exaggeration to say that we are.
He might be able to do it on a rainy Wednesday at the Potteries, buta Manchester United player? is. The fact that Juventus are hot on the heels of Adrien Rabiot, who is happy to leave, has done little to move the heartbeat of the race at Old Trafford.
Again, a good player, but is he a vast improvement on what United already have? Probably. Probably not. However, this is the reality of the situation Eric Ten Hag finds himself in, and it means that it is the kind of deal he has to deal with. Guess and limit calls.
In all fairness to the Dutch, that was probably not what he had in mind when he agreed to participate. But that's how life is at Old Trafford today. There is no Champions League football, no coherent long-term strategy. Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville laughed when he heard that the club were chasing the Austrian national team at the London Stadium on Sunday.
"Radamel Falcao,Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Odion Ighalo. It's a pattern and it's happening again and again," he splashed out. , given his influence on United's dressing rooms and plans, he may have added Cristiano Ronaldo to that mix.
Club sources stress Arnautovic, 33, is being considered as a backup option – United withdraw £7.5m bid for Bologna – and apparently , Rabiot has been courted due to his declining chances of landing. By the way, if anyone misses their opening match againstBrighton, they are millions of miles away from qualifying for the Champions League. is. The problem seems to be the lack of decisive action in the transfer market. Manchester City and Liverpool have solid footing and strategy, while United shift uncomfortably from one to the next, wondering what they are going to do I don't know and happily grab the player spinning in the carousel. in front of them.
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Getty Images)Arnautovic and Rabiot are prime examples. Considering how long United have been chasing De Jong, it's surprising that they still have hopes of De Jong joining. Incredibly, they didn't hit Barcelona and players can't refuse.
It is equally surprising that they are still unsure what to do with Ronaldo, who wants to be sent off. Indeed, if a player wants out, he does his best, no matter what it costs. Instead, he simmers in the background, disrupting the dressing room and undermining Ten Hag's authority. It's amazing that they count on Anthony Martial as the impressive solution for their best case. Not scoring enough goals. In that sense, a move to Arnautovic makes some sense, but only slightly.
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