Manchester United are becoming something of a paradoxical football club. They belong to an exclusive clique, whose inhabitants continue to bask in the aura of a historical, successful institution, despite not performing to such levels on the pitch.
Jose Mourinho arrived at Old Trafford last summer under instruction: to fix Manchester United. The Red Devils had succumbed to the very same issues they stood to oppose for 27 years under Sir Alex Ferguson, by hiring and firing two managers in three years and spiralling down the table, lost without their trademark stability.
When hiring Mourinho, though, they selected a manager in their new image, a perfect match. Time would tell if it were made in heaven, but both club and coach had to prove they could still mix it with the best.
Following a positive start, but negative end, to Mourinho’s Real Madrid career, he stepped back into familiar surroundings with Chelsea four years ago. Few could have foreseen the same pattern repeating, fewer still to the spectacular levels it did. The Portuguese arrived at Old Trafford six months after being sacked by Chelsea, leaving them, albeit as champions of England, in the bottom five of the league.
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One year on from replacing Louis van Gaal in Manchester, the pathway to the top is clear for both parties. Mourinho has added the League Cup and the Europa League titles to his collection and, despite finishing sixth in the Premier League, Champions League football is returning to Old Trafford.
Further signings are a no brainer for Mourinho. Although the quartet of Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba all settled in quite well after signing last summer, issues became obvious within the squad and more surgery to repair those issues is required.
Having released Ibrahimovic because of a serious knee injury at the end of last season, a striker will be high on the priority list. A winger, though, in the shape of Inter’s Ivan Perisic, has appeared as a genuine target for Mourinho, much to the surprise of many onlookers.
Perisic’s quality cannot and should not be questioned. The Croatian played a vital role in a topsy-turvy campaign for the Nerazzurri in Serie A last year, scoring 11 times in 36 games and creating 61 chances. In a world where natural wingers are a dying breed, Perisic is very much alive and kicking, but that is exactly the reason Mourinho should steer well clear.
Not only has the Portuguese shunned the use of ‘out and out’ wingers throughout his entire career, traditionally opting for a narrow, and thus compact, 4-3-3 formation and calling upon either wide playmakers or wing forwards, both of whom play closer to the middle than Perisic; but his other reported summer plans would render Perisic a futile arrival because he would be unable to use his best asset, an ability to run at defenders, stretch the pitch and cross the ball into the box.
Since Ibrahimovic’s departure, the focus of the team has begun to change in Mourinho’s mind. Reported targets Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata, as well as current options Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney, won’t offer the same focal point and physical presence. Instead, it looks as though Mourinho will look to play a faster game, based more around the counter attack; when Ibrahimovic was on the field, far too often would the play stagnate because of the lack of movement around him.
Again, it isn’t that Perisic would struggle on the counter attack, but he would get isolated whilst attempting to support a Morata or even a Rashford or Martial. The Croat mainly enjoyed playing under now former Inter boss Stefano Pioli because of his link up play with Mauro Icardi, who shares more than just a few similarities with Ibrahimovic.
If anything, Mourinho’s new ideas at Old Trafford suit Mkhitaryan and Juan Mata, players who like to roam between the lines and run forward with the ball at their feet. It is perhaps for this reason that James Rodriguez, the Real Madrid and Colombia playmaker, is being mentioned too, because he would fit into the team much better than Perisic by the sounds of it.
Even though Manchester United have a fight on their hands to return to former glories, just like Inter do under Luciano Spalletti, they have the money to attract some of the biggest names in the world, namely Griezmann and Rodriguez.
Furthering the paradox argument, that has not been Mourinho’s way unless they are the perfect fit for the team, like Pogba was last summer. Perisic is more Mourinho’s speed, hardly a superstar but talented, driven and, most crucially, a specialist in his role. It just so happens that that role doesn’t appear to be much use at Old Trafford.
And yet, Perisic is consistently mentioned as a perspective target for Mourinho, who must have a plan for him. But at 28 years of age, and with Inter demanding £45 million to do any deal, there are serious doubts as to whether this is a sensible move for a club wanting to conquer England, and Europe, once again.
