Exclusive: Man United unlikely destination for ‘semi-retired’ superstar
Whether or not Man United win the FA Cup final on Saturday afternoon against local rivals Manchester City, Erik ten Hag will know he has overseen a successful season at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are a completely different animal to the team that had both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick at the helm.
The Dutchman’s tactical nous and unwillingness to accept anything less than perfection is something that’s long been needed at this storied club.
As they claw their way back to the top tables of European and domestic football, United still need to be in the market for the biggest names, in order that ten Hag can deliver the improvements required.
One player that has been previously linked to the club, by The Sun and many other outlets, is Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian superstar, Neymar.
Now 31, it’s believed that the French giants are looking to offload the player as much as to rid themselves of his salary as anything else.
Though it appears Old Trafford is the player’s preferred destination, Jonathan Johnson, writing in his exclusive CaughtOffside Substack, doesn’t believe that United, or Premier League rivals, Newcastle, would take the risk.
“A lot of the chatter at the moment linking Manchester United is because intermediaries have been told to sound out potential landing spots for him,” he said.
“Obviously, he would go to the likes of Manchester United, Newcastle United or some of the big names where there is the kind of money available to potentially accommodate his wage demands.
“[…] To be honest, I find any club any Premier League club taking an interest in Neymar is difficult to imagine because of how fragile he is and how often he gets injured. Injuries have been a big problem over the last couple of years, and there is very little probability that he will go through another season without any major injuries. Then there’s his behaviour away from the pitch. I think that will be a massive put off for a number of these Premier League clubs.
“[…] He’s now apparently, planning some boat cruise around Christmas time that’s going to be another one of his massive parties.
“It seems like he’s almost semi-retired from from top level football based on a lot of the stuff that we sort of see from him at the moment.”
In the event that Johnson is correct, the only realistic option open for the player is a move to Saudi Arabia, something that can’t be discounted at this point.
“If the offer was serious from Saudi Arabia and the desire to bring him in was there then it’s potentially a real possibility,” Johnson added.
“I just find it difficult to imagine any club being willing to spend a lot of money on him while he’s coming back from surgery. It’s almost a non starter.”
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