Gareth Bale may well return to the Premier League after his illustrious spell with Real Madrid — and former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand says he should head for Old Trafford.
Ferdinand, who won a clutch of honours during his star-spangled time at United, believes Bale is perfectly suited to a switch to play for Jose Mourinho and bolster the Red Devils’ chances of a successful campaign.
United missed out on getting their hands on the FA Cup as the curtain came down on the domestic season, with a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at Wembley.
But they have qualified for Champions League football, and Bale knows all about that particular competition. Bale, who moved to Madrid from Tottenham five years ago, came off the bench to destroy Liverpool’s hopes of landing the European Cup earlier this month.
He netted a wonder goal and saw a speculative long shot beat a hapless Loris Karius in the Reds’ goal to help secure Zinedine Zidane’s side the trophy for the third year on the spin.
Now though, Bale who has four Champions League winners’ medals in his trophy cabinet, could well be on his way out of the Bernabeu. That is the suggestion following his comments after the victory against Jurgen Klopp’s men in Kiev.
And Ferdinand says United is the right destination for the Wales ace. He said: “It’s up to him to decide what he wants. Some will say he has nothing to prove and I understand that to a certain extent, but does he want to go somewhere and be the main man and take on the full responsibility of a club who want to win?
“Or does he want to remain at Real Madrid and continue in the role he is in now, as the supporting cast? Personally, I would love to see him come back to the Premier League preferably with Manchester United, and dominate.
“Write a new chapter as a leader of a club, the go-to guy at all times, the icon. This is what the greats do in all sports not just football, it elevates them.”
If Bale does arrive at the Theatre of Dreams, he may well be playing alongside for highly-rated Porto defender Diogo Dalot, who is valued at around £18million.
Various reports suggest that Dalot, who is just 19, is on Mourinho’s list of targets. The United manager is said to be keen to recruit the versatile full-back, who is predominantly a right-back who is more than capable operating on the left, too.
Dalot is just one of the players said to be on Mourinho’s wish-list, however. Also reported to be of interest to the Portuguese coach is Brazilian ace Fred, who looks poised to quit Shakhtar Donetsk, Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld.
And another player who has emerged as a candidate for a summer move to United is West Ham striker Marko Arnautovic. He is on the coach’s radar after an impressive season with the Hammers in the Premier League following his move from Stoke in a £26million switch last summer.