Manchester United: Reaction to derby cancellation; Increased Pogba offer; Varane latest

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This morning’s Manchester United news has been dominated by the news of the club’s cancelled pre-season friendly against rivals Manchester City. The Reds were looking for a reaction after losing to Borussia Dortmund in their tour opener on Friday, but heavy rain in the Chinese capital has rendered the pitch unplayable, cutting short the club’s business in China prematurely.

Manager Jose Mourinho has made no secret of the fact that United are only in China to promote their commercial interests. He had described training and playing conditions as ‘difficult’ as his players have been forced to build up their fitness in sweltering 40-degree heat on dry, slow, hazardous pitches. His quotes, as published by the Manchester Evening News, stressed just how poor the conditions in Asia really were.

It has since emerged that the Portuguese head coach didn’t want the match against City to go ahead, in any case. It is believed the Red Devils boss was hoping the friendly fixture would be cancelled on Sunday, mainly due to concerns over the player’s safety. Few, including Mourinho, would disagree that this season’s tour has been little more than an embarrassment for the club and he will understandably be eager to get back to England to begin preparations for the new campaign.

Meanwhile, according to The Guardian, the Red Devils have submitted an increased bid of £92 million (€110m) plus a further €10 million in add-ons to sign Paul Pogba in a world-record move, but negotiations with Juventus continue as the Serie A champions attempt to extract the best possible financial deal. The Old Lady are seeking an additional €10 million for the Frenchman’s services and have informed United that their €95 million signing of Gonzalo Higuaín from Napoli over the weekend does not mean they will be forced to sell their star midfielder.

For Mourinho and the Red Devils hierarchy, there will reach a stage at which they must ask themselves, “Is Pogba really worth this amount of money?”. For many, the touted valuations have gone above and beyond this point, but United seem intent on landing their man, perhaps as a statement they are back, and ready to compete alongside the world’s very best once more. But, again, surely there reaches a point, at which the cost of emphasizing this point far outweighs the benefits of such a statement, particularly when there are alternative, more affordable, options available.

Finally, Jose Mourinho’s transfer plans have been dealt a blow with the news Raphael Varane wants to stay at Real Madrid. The Portuguese head coach is known to be keen to add another centre half to his squad this summer and is known to be a big fan of the young Frenchman. However, it appears 23-year-old is keen to stay at the Bernabeu, despite experiencing a lack of game time last season.

“I want to stay here this year, I feel loved by the fans who want the best for me, and the best is yet to come,” he told Spanish news outlet Marca.

“I hope to be allowed to start afresh- I’d like to push on, to continue improving. After being at Real for five years, I want to make the next step.”

The previous campaign saw Varane started just 23 times for the Galacticos last term, as he found himself restricted to a bit-part role in Zinedine Zidane’s squad, behind the experienced Sergio Ramos and Pepe in the Santiago Bernabeu pecking order. This had led to suggestions that he would look to play his football elsewhere ahead of upcoming campaign, and yet his recent comments suggest he is quite content in the Spanish capital.

He would have proven an excellent signing for the Red Devils, who are desperately lacking a top quality centre-back, capable of partnering Chris Smalling at the back. The squad frailties were on full display in the club’s recent friendly defeat to Borussia Dortmund, with Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones offering very little in the way of protection. Varane’s arrival would have been a sure fire way of guaranteeing solidity and strength in depth, all at once.

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