Manchester United lose out on another world-class signing

Any Manchester United fan with half a brain has been baying for the blood of Louis van Gaal and Ed Woodward for some time.

But their CVs continue to be blighted by bad decisions and poor performance on the pitch.

So, having been strongly linked of late with one of the finest young talents in the world of football, we shouldn’t be too surprised to hear that Benfica star Renato Sanches – a midfield dynamo who would have totally rejuvenated Manchester United’s tired engine room – has agreed to sign for Bayern Munich instead.

The Guardian reports:

Bayern Munich have completed the signings of Benfica’s midfielder Renato Sanches and Borussia Dortmund’s defender Mats Hummels.

The 18-year-old Portuguese international Sanches will cost Bayern €35m plus add-ons

Sanches was wanted by several top clubs, including Manchester United, but the Bundesliga winners won the race.

Manchester United should have made a change at Christmas. Had they done so we might be talking about a title challenge under Jose Mourinho already rather than yet another missed opportunity to make the top four after a season of utterly dull football.

Woodward can still redeem himself. He simply needs to cut his losses and get The Special One in before this club slips into a longer-term abyss.

Mourinho to Manchester United is such an obvious move and one which the club cannot be so idiotic as to pass up again. Because, unlike Pochettino et al, Mourinho has a proven track record in The Premier League and in Europe. Any other appointment at this stage would represent a gamble in the mould of Van Gaal and Moyes – a gamble which the club simply cannot afford.

Ed Woodward seems to think he has a masterplan. But any strategy that doesn’t involve Mourinho at this stage would be profoundly damaging for the club.