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James Rodriguez would be Jose Mourinho’s Andriy Shevchenko at Man Utd

James Rodriguez would be Jose Mourinho’s Andriy Shevchenko at Man Utd

Jose Mourinho knows what he likes. He has his ways and those ways have delivered him an astonishing haul of honours and accolades over the past decade or so. The Portuguese coach is European football’s go-to-guy for instant success, but only when he is left to do as he pleases when he pleases.

As Manchester United manager Mourinho has seemingly been given free reign to shape the Old Trafford side as he likes. Summer signings Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are all in the special mould of the Special One, with the impending signing of Paul Pogba only underlining that Mourinho has directed United’s transfer policy ahead of the new season.

However, one player linked with a switch to Old Trafford this summer is not of that mould. James Rodriguez is reportedly on Man Utd’s radar this summer, with Real Madrid willing to sell the Colombian after a disappointing season at the Santiago Bernabeu. £71 million is the mooted price and United are thought to be interested.

But the club’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward should consider what impact Rodriguez’s signing could have on what Mourinho is building. There would appear to be no place in United’s starting lineup, meaning he would be football’s most expensive misfit since Angel Di Maria last wore a red shirt.

If Rodriguez ends up at United this summer his transfer would surely be one pushed through by those at the club keen to sell as many shirts as possible rather than Mourinho. Maybe Woodward, riding the crest of a wave that has seen Ibrahimovic and possible Pogba wash up at Old Trafford, is getting carried away with himself, intent on turning Man Utd into the Premier League’s very own Galacticos.

It’s a scenario Mourinho would be somewhat familiar with. This happened to him during his first spell as Chelsea manager, except it was Andriy Shevchenko who was lumped at his doorstep rather than Rodriguez. In fact, the arrival of the Ukrainian striker could be in part attributed to Mourinhos’ initial demise at Stamford Bridge. His signing was devastating, but not in the way Roman Abramovich had hoped.

Chelsea’s Russian owner pressed hard for the signing of his favourite goalscorer, eventually getting his man from AC Milan in 2006. But Shevchenko had no real place in Mourinho’s team or system and ultimately went down as one of the biggest, costliest flops English football has ever seen. Mourinho never wanted the striker, just like he surely doesn’t want Rodriguez this summer.

What’s more, United’s apparent interest in the Real Madrid playmaker goes against the grain of their transfer strategy up until this point this summer. While they have made a habit of being sold others’ unwanted goods at exorbitant prices, they have instead focussed on extracting talent from clubs who don’t want to sell. After all, a club that is unwilling to sell is always the reliable sign of a good player.

On the basis of the players who have pitched up at Old Trafford this summer, United appear to have learned the lessons of their transfer window failings over the past few years. But the signing of Rodriguez would see them repeat the same mistake they made with Di Maria two years ago. They’d be paying a Premier League record fee for a player with question marks against his commitment, fitness and form, and unwanted by Real Madrid. All their good work could be undone.

In the 4-3-3 formation expected to be used by Mourinho at Man Utd this season Rodriguez would be a very round peg in a square hole. Even if that shape becomes more of a 4-4-2 with Wayne Rooney used as a strike partner for Ibrahimovic, the Colombian would have no obvious starting place. In essentially every way, Rodriguez’s rumoured move to Old Trafford makes no sense.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that only transfer market bluster is blowing the winds of speculation linking Rodriguez with Man Utd. But if the Old Trafford club is genuinely weighing up whether to make a move for the Colombian they must look at the parallels provided by Shevchenko’s switch to Chelsea 10 years ago and what it did to hinder Mourinho. Rodriguez could do the same thing.