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Why Signing This Talented South American Would Be A Big Mistake By Manchester United

rodriguez

At top clubs like Real Madrid, there can be fierce competition for places. It is only natural for such clubs to have a number of players for each role within the team, in order to give everyone a chance to recover from the fatigue of playing in various competitions. James Rodriquez of Colombia is one player that has found this out the hard way.

Signed by the Los Blancos on the back of an impressive 2014 World Cup in Brazil, big things were expected of James. But so far, he has failed to live up to those expectations and has been a bit-part player during his Real Madrid career. In his first season, he did reasonably well but things have gone downhill since then for the Colombian.

Such circumstances have lead to links with various clubs across the globe, including interest from China, where the league seems to have been refurbished by extensive funding. Many big stars, mostly South Americans such as Ramires, Oscar and James’ former Porto teammate Hulk have made the move to China owing to extravagant wage packages that European clubs might refrain from doling out.

A move to the Premier League has also been around the corner for some time now and James continues to be linked with top English clubs such as Manchester United and Chelsea. His profile definitely fits the kind of player all those clubs need, but it’s his waning performances during the latter stages of his Real Madrid career that has all of them waiting for a transfer rather than putting a bid in for the flamboyant Colombian attacker.

Manchester United, in particular, seem to have taken a keen interest in James, but encouraging performances from the likes Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard have stopped Mourinho from making any sort of substantial bid for James. When these above-mentioned players were misfiring, James’ name was indeed going around the United household, but that interest seems to have dwindled.

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Any club looking to sign James Rodriquez would have to stump up close to 50 million pounds. Although that’s a fee that most top Premier League clubs would like to afford for a player of the calibre of James, no club has taken such a step yet. Manchester United must also be wary of shelling out such big money for a player again as they have already spent quite a bit in the summer.

Mourinho would be better off showing patience with his current crop of midfielders, who on their day, can be a real threat to any opposition defense. The presence of the waning Wayne Rooney will also encourage Mourinho and discourage him from making a move for another attacking midfielder. Although James would be adding something different to the United ranks, it is a move that will have to wait for another window.

Another reason why United must refrain from signing James is the number of the South Americans that fail to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League. Only a few handpicked ones are uber successful and this is down to personal motivation among other factors. The route United took when they signed Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid, should remind them of what a mistake signing James Rodriquez could be.

All that said and done, James Rodriquez is a talented footballer nonetheless. But he will have to bid his time before making a move to England, where a club would be willing to take a punt on the man that lit up the 2014 World cup with some special performances, carrying his team to the semi-finals of the tournament. Although his situation at Real Madrid is not too encouraging, James must look to prove himself to Zinedine Zidane and the Real Madrid faithful, in order to gain his place in the team back.