- Joined
- Oct 28, 2021
- Messages
- 400
Oh I might be wrong then. However I read an article where Rio said we decided not to buy Modric because of Kagawa.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/20786023/modric-transfer-man-utd-kagawa-ferdinand/amp/
Ferdinand did say this, I heard him on his podcast series.
He said he spoke to Modric in 2012 after a game v Spurs and asked him if he'd join. Modric was open and said he'd love to be the first Croatian to play for Utd.
Ferdinand got onto Ferguson and Gill but they came back to him and said they'd already agreed a deal with Dortmund for Kagawa, so they wouldn't be going for him.
At the time there was an (outdated) view that Modric could only play ahead of two midfielders and wasn't defensively sound/athletic enough to play as a deeper CM. This mentality actually carried over at Madrid when he first arrived, Mourinho had him sitting on the bench and chose to play Khedira and Alonso at the base of midfield whereas Modric was used as a sub for Ozil (or sometimes Ozil would be moved to the wing to accommodate him)
It was only when Ancelotti arrived at Madrid in 2013 that Modric was trusted to play in a two beside Alonso.