Gareth Bale Fits Manchester United More Than Cristiano Ronaldo, Says Paul Merson

Former Arsenal forward Paul Merson has encouraged Manchester United to move for Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale next summer, even if there is a chance of Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Old Trafford.

Both Bale and Ronaldo have been linked with a move to the Red Devils recently, per Simon Mullock of the Daily Mirror. Of the two superstars, Merson thinks at the moment, despite Ronaldo’s undeniable quality, he is a "selfish" player and the Welshman would be a better fit for United, per the Daily Star:

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I’d take Bale over Ronaldo any day. If you’re giving one of them a four-year contract, you’d get far more out of Bale over four years.

However good he thinks he is, Ronaldo is not going to be scoring 30 goals a season and terrorising defences when he’s 34.

But it’s not just that. Bale is a team player. He’d fit in under Van Gaal. He works harder and he’s willing to work back for the team.

He ticks every single box and signing him would be massive for United. I can’t see them winning the league with this team because, although they’re hard to beat, they don’t score enough goals.

Bale would change that in a heartbeat. Every club needs a star forward these days and he’d be a massive coup.

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Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Next summer will certainly be intriguing when it comes to both of these players. According to Sky Sports’ Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, Ronaldo will not be staying at the Santiago Bernabeu for long and could depart for Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the current term. While ESPN FC's Miguel Delaney reported United made a big effort to land Bale last summer.

Either player leaving the club would bring about issues for the Red Devils, given they are both world-class talents. Here’s how they’ve each compared in La Liga so far this season:

	Ronaldo	Bale
Apps (Sub)	11	5 (1)
Goals	8	2
Assists	2	4
Shots per game	7.1	2.8
Key passes per game	1.5	2.2
Dribbles per game	1.4	1.3

If United were to re-sign Ronaldo, they wouldn’t be getting the same player who bewitched the Old Trafford crowd during his first spell. Gone are the darts down the flanks, brash skills and long-range strikes; the 30-year-old remains an effective player, but he is now more of a finisher.

As we can see here courtesy of Dermot Corrigan of ESPN, it means Ronaldo has much less of an influence in general play these days:

Bale may not be as ruthless in front of goal, nor as good as the Portuguese was at his peak, but he’s a player that’s being given an increased amount of responsibility at Real, something he seems to be enjoying with some impressive early-season showings.

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/Getty Images

At United, he’d definitely be the main man. As Merson alluded to, there’s no denying the Welshman would be a much more sensible purchase in terms of longevity, given he’s more than four years Ronaldo’s junior.

There have been signs of that extra industry shining through in recent matches too, as OptaJose noted during Real’s recent loss to Sevilla:

The majority of United fans would agree with Merson’s reasoning. Bale is a player who shines in big matches, enjoys being a key figure and someone that’s well-suited to English football. His direct style would make him an immediate hit with the Old Trafford faithful, too.

Not as big a hit as Ronaldo, though. United fans still adore their former No. 7, with his name regularly ringing around the iconic stadium on matchdays.

It’s why, despite his age, stylistic shifts and potential costs, given a straight choice between the Los Blancos pair, the majority associated with the Red Devils would probably prefer to acquire their legendary forward for a second spell.