Lionel Messi Would Lead Man Utd to League and Cup Double, Says 'FM15' Simulation

Will TideyFeb 5, 2015

ELCHE, SPAIN - JANUARY 24: Lionel Messi of Barcelona celebrates after scoring during the La Liga match between Elche FC and FC Barcelona at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero on January 24, 2015 in Elche, Spain. (Photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Ima

Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images

There's been a lot of transfer speculation around Lionel Messi recently, not least the suggestion that Manchester United could be tempted to make a sensational move for the Barcelona genius, per Daily Mail.

With that in mind, we asked our friends at Football Manager to run a simulation to that end next season.

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They added Messi to United's squad and played out the 2015-16 season, and the results were extremely interesting, to say the least.

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JANUARY 21: Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Copa del Rey Quarter-Final First Leg match between FC Barcelona and Club Atletico de Madrid at Camp Nou on January 21, 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo

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Here's what happened, as per the FM15 team:

Manchester United sign Messi for $300 million after refusing the $67 million option they had to sign Radamel Falcao after the end of his loan contract.
The addition of Messi reinvigorates United, and they celebrate a league and cup double after beating Chelsea and Manchester City to the league title in addition to claiming the FA Cup.
Messi’s individual performances are outstanding for his new club, as he scores 23 goals, makes 13 assists and is named Player of the Match an incredible 15 times.
Messi’s influence in the United attack sees them top the scoring charts with 85 league goals.
He finds particular success linking up with his international team-mate Angel Di Maria, who creates six assists for Messi.
With the astronomical fee that the club spent on Messi, Louis van Gaal cannot afford to strengthen his side’s defence, which has been inconsistent in the 2014/15 season.
That proves to be their only major weakness, as the team concedes 47 goals, more than Chelsea and Manchester City.
In the Champions League, Messi leads United to the semi-finals, where they are knocked out 4-3 on aggregate by Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid.
The one major disappointment in the team’s season comes in the League Cup, where a second-string United XI are knocked out in the third round by Bolton.

The team at FM15 ran the same season simulation without Messi in the United squad, and the team ended up trophy-less, finishing third in the Premier League and going out of the Champions League in the quarters.