At the turn of the year, Manchester United were in disarray with Ruben Amorim at the helm. The Portuguese head coach’s reluctance, or inability, to align tactically with the club’s hierarchy ultimately led to his dismissal.
Michael Carrick was brought in to replace Amorim in January, and the interim boss has since impressively led United up to third place, securing Champions League qualification in the process.
Irrespective of who is in charge of United next season, Carrick has steadied the ship at Old Trafford, giving INEOS a platform to dream big.
Chaos at Real Madrid
Another European powerhouse, Real Madrid, took the same route at the start of the year, replacing manager Xabi Alonso with their former player turned coach Álvaro Arbeloa. However, Los Blancos arguably find themselves in a worse position come the end of the season.
Under Arbeloa, Real have been knocked out of the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. They now head into the Clasico aiming to avoid a nightmare situation.
Anything less than a win at Camp Nou will hand their bitter rivals Barcelona the La Liga title. A report now suggests the preparations for the crucial clash have been nothing short of embarrassing.
According to The Athletic, Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde were involved in a dispute in training four days before the Clasico on Sunday.
The report states: “Sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking anonymously as they are not authorised to do so publicly, said the fight started at the end of training and carried on in the changing rooms on Wednesday.”
This is not an isolated case, with tensions between several superstars and dressing room politics preventing Real from building any momentum on the pitch. A major clear-out appears to be the need of the hour in the Spanish capital, and this is where United could benefit.
Manchester United eyeing Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni
In recent weeks, it has emerged that United view Tchouameni as one of their preferred midfield targets to replace Casemiro.
United will struggle to find a more suitable option than the Frenchman to fill the departing Brazilian’s void, given he has already shown he is capable of doing that at Real after joining them from AS Monaco the same summer Casemiro moved to Old Trafford.
Despite Real’s struggles, the 26-year-old has been in good form and remains one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe.
The 6ft 2in tall star’s physical prowess, combined with his positional and tactical nous, aligns seamlessly with United’s brief of finding a midfielder whose skill set complements Kobbie Mainoo.
The France international has everything in his locker to become the signing of the summer.
Recently, The Peoples Person relayed a report claiming the La Liga giants value Tchouameni at around £70 million, a relatively easy hurdle to overcome for INEOS.
Now, following the bizarre development in Madrid, United will only be emboldened in their pursuit of convincing the Champions League-winning midfielder to follow in Casemiro’s footsteps and make a fresh start in a more stable environment.
Featured image Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey via Getty Images
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