Gareth Bale: The Loan That Could Solve Man United’s Pressing Dilemma

Gareth Bale has been a presence on Man United’s wishlist from years altogether, right back to his days at Tottenham Hotspur itself. Recently, however, he began to feature less frequently as the Real Madrid tryst continued to tumble.

As such, it is indeed an intriguing turn of events that could see Bale end up as a Red Devil since United are reportedly considering a loan move to bring him to Old Trafford. The 31-year-old has been having an increasingly tumultuous stay at the Bernabeu with first-team football a sliver of what it used to be.

However, the obvious intricacies of a loan move aside, this could end up being a masterstroke on a deeper level.

United’s issues at the right-wing have stemmed more from a lack of a specialist in that region. As such, even targeting Jadon Sancho for that role raised some eyebrows given the fact that the English starlet has shown more of a tendency from the left flank where Ole Gunnar Solskjær is spoilt for options.

As such, the experienced feet of Bale will bring a much-needed quality of an essential winger to the side. Further still, the purported year-long loan deal will while away crucial time.

On the one hand, Bale will see his contract with Madrid slowly run off, ensuring that he will eventually be able to part ways with some regular football under his belt, perhaps not too dissimilar to the manner in which James Rodriguez functioned during his drop from grace with the LaLiga outfit.

Secondly, the year will also weaken the negotiating power that Borussia Dortmund presently command over the Jadon Sancho saga. Ed Woodward won’t be bullied into playing the hefty premium as whatever agreement will be agreed for Bale’s wages will certainly dwarf the 20-year-old’s asking price.

Further still, the year’s gap will also provide more time for Sancho to prove himself and duplicate numbers that will ensure he isn’t another one-season wonder. While this will work to United’s benefit with regard to assuring their eventual investment, it carries with it the risk of other European powerhouses being interested a year from now. That potential interest has the tendency to raise his prospective fee to the region that the Premier League club presently dreads as it is.

Even going with the scenario that Sancho will not join United in the near future, Bale’s temporary acquisition still works to their benefit.

Primarily, right-wing options can be developed with Daniel James and Mason Greenwood fitting the bill. For Greenwood, he can also use Bale’s presence as a way to challenge into his own preferred spot at the center. Alternatively, United could also wait for the return of Tahith Chong from his season-long loan spell with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga and rely on him instead. The youth talent has already shown promising early signs in that regard

Either way, Bale’s potential presence is in no way a negative for the Red Devils and as such, the Norwegian gaffer could make a strong push for his signature.