Man Utd should have bought free agent gem over FLOP Mount
Manchester United are not the most shrewd negotiators when it comes to the transfer market.
They have had a torrid start to the season, once again rescued by a late goal by Bruno Fernandes, this time to save their blushes against Fulham.
Their entire front line still has just one goal between them so far in the Premier League, but even away from that, some of the transfers that Erik ten Hag signed off in the midfield have been questionable.
READ MORE: Man Utd eye 29-year-old defensive midfielder from La Liga
Mason Mount cost £60million from Chelsea and he is struggling to find game-time. Across all competitions, Mount has provided just a solidary assist while failing to score a single goal.
The England international appears to be out of favour by Ten Hag, so it begs the question of why he was signed in the first place.
Who should have Man Utd bought instead of Mount?
Man Utd, had they done their homework, might have been better off with Isco, who has been flying for Real Betis. The Spaniard, who left Real Madrid over the summer window, decided to sign with the Andalucian club in a bid to reinvigorate his career.
And what an asset he has been. Isco, who was a free agent in July, has joined Betis and earned quite an incredible eight Man of the Match awards in 12 matches.
Isco was still available as free agent in July after he didn’t play 1 single minute for 9 months.
…then he joined Betis as free agent and got 8️⃣ MOTM Awards in 12 Liga games.
MOTM 🆚 Villarreal, Atlético, At. Bilbao, Rayo, Cadiz, Getafe, Osasuna, Mallorca.
Superb signing 🟢✨ pic.twitter.com/6MdTvr0pdp— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 5, 2023
He earned the accolade in games against Villarreal, Atletico, Bilbao, Rayo, Cadiz, Getafe, Osasuna, Mallorca, as Fabrizio Romano has pointed out.
He might be a few years older than Mount but Isco has proven that looking to the free agents can prove extremely invaluable for even elite clubs.
Isco had been frozen out of the Real Madrid side, barely playing a minute, but that wasn’t to suggest he is not an extremely capable playmaker who has several years left in his tank.