Alvaro Morata is one of the most criminally underused players in Europe. A player of his calibre and immense talent should be starting up top every weekend for his club. His composure in front of goal, good movement, and aerial prowess make him a perfect number 9.
His versatility means that he can also play alongside another striker and can be deployed on the wide areas if needed. Morata also thrives under pressure, evident by the fact that he scored two goals in an UEFA Champions League semifinal tie against his boyhood club, Real Madrid, and scored the winning goal in the Coppa Italia final after coming off the bench while playing for Juventus.
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After scoring 27 goals in 93 appearances for Juventus, winning two Serie A titles and nearly winning the Champions League, Real Madrid were tempted to exercise their buy back option to reunite with their youth product and former player.
After his return to the Bernabeu, the Spaniard scored 20 goals in 40 appearances last season, despite starting on the bench in a majority of those games. In the league, Morata scored 15 goals, which is quite staggering as he was handed a mere 14 starts and 26 appearances overall.
The aforementioned numbers would warrant a starting place in pretty much any team in the world, except for Real Madrid, where manager Zinedine Zidane preferred to start Karim Benzema, who scored four goals fewer than Morata in nine more starts.
Morata has not been given the opportunities he deserves by Zidane, which is sure to have irked the striker. Although the Real Madrid gaffer wants to keep Morata, the latter wants more minutes on the pitch which the former cannot guarantee.
Real Madrid’s loss could be Manchester United’s gain
Failure to kill matches off was the story of the 2016/17 season for Manchester United. They were held to an alarming 15 draws in the league last season, mostly due to their poor finishing, which may have even cost them the league title.
With the expected departure of the talismanic Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the rapid decline of Wayne Rooney, Manchester United are a team in desperate need of a top quality striker who can turn losses into draws, and draws into wins, much like the great Manchester United strikers of yore.
Morata is also the perfect match for United manager Jose Mourinho’s style. Mourinho loves a conventional striker who is consistent in providing his team with goals, and has had considerable success with the likes of Didier Drogba, Diego Costa, Diego Milito, Samuel Eto’o, and of course, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The price tag
Although Real Madrid’s reported €90m evaluation of Morata is quite steep, United should not hesitate to splash the money that the world knows they have. With a bit of negotiation, Ed Woodward should be able to get the price down by a few million quid, which is the right fee for a multi-dimensional striker like Alvaro Morata.
With the steep rising transfer fees for players in the modern day game, 70 million pounds will look like a steal for Los Blancos’ striker.
The making of a legend?
Morata has all the qualities to be successful in the Premier League. His quick thinking and ability to finish even half chances, hold him in good stead for the intense style of the Premier League. The fact that he has had more goals than starts last season, shows that when given the chance, the dynamic young striker will deliver.
With his pace and ability to sort his feet out quickly, Morata’s play resembles that of the prolific Robin van Persie, an Old Trafford success story and fan-favourite. Although Morata does not yet possess the level of skill and status that RVP had, Manchester United fans will hope that the 24-year old will blossom into an Old Trafford great.
Good finishing is the need of the hour for Manchester United as they lead the table for most “Big Chances” missed last season (50), and a genuine goal-scorer like Morata will also help them improve on the sub-par 54 goals they scored last season, a tally that is fewer than what Bournemouth managed (55).
Morata needs game time and Manchester United need a prolific striker. A Morata to United transfer in the summer would be a match made in heaven. Manchester United get their striker, Morata gets his deserved game time.
Goal-scoring at the highest level is the mark of a great player. Morata has the potential to be one of these greats, and where better to do so than under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho. With the way things are looking, the Old Trafford faithful will soon see Morata banging in goals in the red of Manchester United.
