10 months ago
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Manchester United are unlikely to make a move for Karim Benzema with Ineos sceptical about handing big-money deals to past-their-peak players, according to reports.
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The Red Devils have been linked with a move for Al-Ittihad frontman Benzema, who is reportedly unhappy in the Saudi Pro League and keen to make a January exit.
United have been rocked by news that Anthony Martial will be out of action for the next 10 weeks and are exploring potential signings to bolster their attacking options in the final days of the window, though are limited to loans or bargain buys.
But a move for Benzema is not expected to happen, with the Daily Mail reporting that Ineos are keen to improve the club’s approach to recruitment and take it in another direction.
There has been a degree of short-termism with regard to a number of United’s signings in recent years, particularly in the January window.
In 2020, the club brought in Odion Ighalo on deadline day but he failed to net in 12 Premier League outings, while Wout Weghorst fared even worse last season as he blanked in 17 league appearances for the Red Devils.
United have also handed big salaries to Casemiro and Raphael Varane, though Ineos are said to have ‘questioned the wisdom’ of both those deals and feel it is something that should be avoided going forward.
The former is on around £375,000-a-week while the latter takes home £340,000-a-week, massive outlays for players who appear to be on the decline.
Casemiro was an important player for United in his first campaign but lacked fitness in pre-season in the summer, made an underwhelming start to the campaign and has not played since November due to injury.
Varane, similarly, has been plagued by niggles and briefly lost his place in the team until injuries necessitated his selection, with both the Frenchman and his old Real Madrid team-mate linked with January moves to Saudi Arabia.
While both are now expected to stay at Old Trafford for the remainder of the season, they are likely to be offloaded in the summer window.
As such, it would be strange – a backward step, even – if Ineos gave the greenlight for United to sign another past-his-best former Galactico on enormous wages in the form of Benzema, even if it leaves them light on attacking options in the short term.
There is also a feeling that, with United out of Europe and back to playing one game a week, they should be able to manage with their existing options.
Ineos are still waiting for Premier League ratification before fully taking over the reins at Old Trafford, but when they do they are expected to shift the club’s recruitment in a different direction and sign more players on the cusp of their peak, rather than big names on the wane like Casemiro, Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo.
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