Like Chicharito, Only Better: Alvaro Morata Is Precisely The Kind Of Striker Man Utd Need Right Now

Chris Wright

12th, June 2017

2 Comments

morata-real-madrid-man-utd

It would appear that Alvaro Morata is teetering on the very cusp of making an expensive switch to Manchester United.

Along with MARCA claiming that Jose Mourinho has instructed Morata to gird himself for a formal offer being made this week, the Real Madrid striker has also gone and ‘liked’ a spurious Instagram post that links him (and Gareth Bale, and James Rodriguez) with an imminent switch to Old Trafford…

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Presenting the very post in question (Image: Instagram)

Obviously, it really doesn’t get much closer to 100% irrefutable gospel these days.

And so, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic released back into the public domain (for the time being at least), it would appear that United are wasting little time in procuring themselves a new big-name, big reputation, true No.9.

While Morata has struggled to dislodge the Galactico imports ahead of him in the pecking order at Real, the homegrown rookie always proved more than useful when called upon. At 24 years of age, he’s hardly a cast-off either.

Indeed, he scored 15 goals last season despite only making 14 full starts (26 appearances overall) and actually ended the 2017/18 campaign with the second best goals-to-minutes ratio in La Liga, behind one Lionel Messi.

Perhaps Morata’s highly successful season on loan at Juventus provides a more accurate barometer of his talent, with a sustained run of regular first-choice selection yielding 26 goals in 46 starts. He’s had a private-school level education in footballing terms.

The Bianconeri didn’t want him to leave, but alas he ultimately didn’t have much of a say in the matter.

Suffice to say, despite holding two very different footings for two very different but equally eminent teams, Morata has always scored goals and plenty thereof.

Zlatan aside, concise, reliable finishing is something United have been in short supply of for a good long while.

He could well prove a Javier Hernandez-like entity – that movement, that knack – at United, only less prone to the in-off-the-arse wibbly-wobbliness that ultimately proved to be Chicharito’s undoing.

With proper strikers always a rare commodity, Morata looks like a good bit of business, even at £60-odd million.

Posted in Man Utd, Opinion, Real Madrid

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2 Comments

  1. German Ortiz says:

    Might be the only highlight video without crappy EDM.

  2. Bruno says:

    He’s very good and probably the ideal replacement to Ibra but I still think United need one more big proven superstar to play in a front three with Rashford and Morata. I’m absolutely not convinced by Martial and I think Mkhitaryan is a GREAT player but a little inconsistent to be one of the main attackers in a club that should be looking to match the squads of Real, Bayern or Barça (it’s the richest club in the world, you can’t aim lower than that). Go for Sanchez, Bale, Dybala, whatever, the money is there and a fast, world class attacker is exactly what’s lacking at United. I’ve heard about Perisic, come on, we need players to improve the team, not to maintain the level. We need cracking players – Robben/Ronaldo style.

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