Three Reasons why Manchester United should buy “Baby Messi” Ryan Gauld

Ryan Gauld

Ryan Gauld – The young Scottish midfielder has impressed in the SPL this season, and with United currently short on young talent, a move for the young Scot could be a wise decision.

1. Play Making Factor

Even though Ryan Gauld was dubbed as “baby Messi”, he is more of a play maker than a striker. Gauld has great vision and good passing range, and therefore could be a success at Old Trafford as the Red Devils are criticized for lack of a super playmaker in the midfield. Gould broke into the Dundee United first team at the age of 16, making him one of the SPL’s brightest young talents. This season he had bagged 4 goals and 5 assists in SPL. Though a move to United may halt his development, as he may not get more playing time with the defending champions. He could be the next big thing in Old Trafford following the rise of Adnan Januzaj.

2. Lack of Young Talent

When you think about young players to have passed through United in recent years, two names come to mind, Paul Pogba and Gerard Pique. Though it is not a nice thought for fans of the Red Devils, as Pique left and became part of one of the greatest club sides in history, as he formed a formidable partnership with Carles Puyol back in 2008, when Pep Guardiola was at the helm of Barcelona. Pogba meanwhile left after being overlooked several times when midfield spots were open, famously saying he made the decision to leave Old Trafford when Alex Ferguson picked Fabio, a young left-back, over him when Paul Scholes was injured.

Pogba has since went on to international stardom with Italian champions Juventus and has also became an integral part of the France national squad. If they could pick up a player like Ryan Gauld, there is little to no chance that he will go on to experience the highs and successes of Pogba and Pique, but he may divert some of the attention from United’s rather terrible record with young talent and also give them a new option for the future.

3. To Add Depth in Attacking Midfield

Shinji Kagawa, the name of Manchester United’s only orthodox attacking midfielder. Though he is often overlooked by David Moyes for the likes of Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney, arguably part of the problem this season for Manchester United. Gauld would bring in competition and depth for the 40 year-old and England striker. It is unlikely he would get much of a chance in the first team, as Nick Powell hasn’t been afforded much of a chance since joining United 2 years ago, but he could still offer an option in league cup games.

Still incredibly inexperienced, the Scotland U21 international is still only 17 and has a lot to learn, but the likes of Barcelona, Juventus, Porto and Arsenal have had great success with young players after giving them a chance in the starting XI, maybe it’s time for United to give it a go.