da spicy bet： Breaking into a PSG team filled with high profile names and world renowned stars wouldn’t be an easy task for any player currently plying their trade in the modern game, let alone a home-grown star who is seemingly forced to operate within the shadows of his more commercially viable, poster-friendly counterparts.
da betsson： That however, is exactly what 28-year-old Blaise Matuidi has so far achieved during his time at the Parc des Princes stadium – and the combative Frenchman is simply thriving as a result. The central midfielder has not only managed to break into the star-studded squad currently on the books at PSG in recent years, but he has also successfully maintained his place in the first team and gone down as a solid starter for Laurent Blanc’s side so far this season.
Such an impressive record from the former Saint Etienne man has subsequently not gone unnoticed across the rest of Europe, as since the culmination of the January transfer window, Manchester United have reportedly been linked with brining the no. 14 to the Premier League next season for a hefty fee of around £25 million.
In light of such a potentially expensive investment from Louis van Gaal’s side, would Blaise Matuidi ultimately be suited to the English game throughout the 2015/16 campaign, and could the Red Devils actually aim higher than the supposedly in-demand Frenchman this summer?
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Well for one thing, to label Matuidi as ‘not good enough’ for the Premier League would only be doing a great disservice to the player’s overall game. The 28-year-old PSG favourite has not only been a big success in Ligue 1 throughout his time with the Parisian giants, but he has also been arguably one of the standout performers for PSG so far in the Champions League.
Some of Blanc’s perhaps more high profile names – such as Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi – simply haven’t stepped up to the plate for their team in Europe for one reason or another, yet Blaise Matuidi has certainly been a worthy servant for the club with his consistent level of performance in club football’s most illustrious tournament.
The midfield enforcer may not be gifted with a great amount of elegance on the ball when he plays it across the pitch, the determined Frenchman simply doesn’t operate with the technical brilliance and gifted control that many would have expected from someone in his position, and of course, no one will be comparing the PSG no. 14 to the likes of Andrea Pirlo or Xabi Alonso any time soon – but as Blaise Matuidi is more than capable of performing the ugly side of the modern game – he will seemingly always go down as a strong asset for his respective manager.
In putting in countless crunching tackles, several goal saving blocks, and breaking up moves from the opposition on an almost week-to-week basis, the 28-year-old midfielder has certainly done well to emulate the legendary Claude Makelele since his retirement, both for club and country.
Having made such a positive case for Matuidi’s skill-set and overall game however, Manchester United could still nonetheless aim higher than the tenacious Frenchman throughout the coming summer. He simply isn’t THE player Louis van Gaal needs right now, and although he could certainly do a good job down at Old Trafford across the course of next season, the Red Devils have to spend their money more wisely this time around if they want to avoid an embarrassing repeat of this season’s shortcomings.
Not only do Manchester United have to replace the increasingly ineffective Robin van Persie in the striking department for next season – not to mention needing to have a good look over the club’s somewhat frail looking back-four sooner or later – but as the ageing Michael Carrick will likely be on his way out of Old Trafford in the not too distant future, an elegant midfielder with a keen eye for a through-ball will be most required for the Red Devils next term.
Van Gaal already has Daley Blind to count upon to cover the gritty side of being a modern day Premier League midfielder after all, so spending close to £25 million on a player so similar to the Dutchman would simply have to go down as another huge waste of money at Old Trafford, should they follow through on their reported interest in Matuidi.
With all things considered, even though the current PSG man has certainly staked a worthy claim for himself in the past few seasons, Blaise Matuidi is just not the player Manchester United require going into the 2015/16 campaign.
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