Manchester United Are Being Linked With Samuel Umtiti… But Why?

Embed from Getty Images

 

Manchester United have played some good football this season, but it has not been enough. Big wins against smaller Premier League sides have been very nice to see. However, playing against bigger teams, it was obvious Man United’s squad was not big enough. There have been problems at almost every part of the pitch and Jose Mourinho was not the happiest man about some performances.

Manchester United Need January Reinforcements

Therefore, the Reds will need to try and get new players in this January. The starting XI of this team is very good, but the outskirts of it are weaker than at some other Premier League clubs. Mourinho should look for some new players in order to bolster the squad and improve the overall quality.

However, that is not the easiest thing to do in January. Even worse, it is the January of the World Cup year. World class players are not very eager on changing clubs with six months until the greatest football tournament. Simply, it is not a rational thing to happen, unless they are for some reason not playing as much as they need in order to get to the World Cup.

And British media have started creating rumours about Samuel Umtiti as a possible Manchester United signing. To be completely precise, that is correct. Umtiti is a *possible* Man United signing. However, this looks very far from the truth.

Samuel Umtiti joined Barcelona from Olympique Lyonnais in summer of 2016 and has been a first team regular ever since. His place in the heart of Barca’s defence is very much secured. Blaugrana is currently top of La Liga with four points more than Valencia and eight points more than league and double Champions League winners. Why would he move to Manchester United right now?

Samuel Umtiti Will Not Join Them

The only reason that has been mentioned in English media is his release clause. Umtiti could be bought for 53 million pounds, which is not too much for a player of his qualities and the position he holds at one of the best European clubs.

However, we get to the same problem here over and over. Just because Umtiti’s release clause is something an English club – in this case Manchester United – can pay, it does not mean they will buy him. Because, by reaching the release clause, Manchester United would be able to go past Barcelona and talk straight to Umtiti.

The player could still say ‘no’. And if Manchester United activate his release clause, that will most certainly happen. Samuel Umtiti will not agree to join the Red Devils midway through a season leading to a World Cup while playing for one of the best teams in the world.

Simply, that is not how things work. Last summer, several other players were mentioned in a conversation similar to this one, whether it was Gareth Bale or someone else. The media are obsessed with creating stories where there are none whatsoever, especially during international breaks.

There is no club football and no one is talking about it as much as usual. That is why stories like these are created. However, whatever the reasons (or gains) of those media outlets could be, Samuel Umtiti will not be a Manchester United on 1 February 2018.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*