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07th Oct 2017

Manchester United fans have bizarre reaction to Mesut Ozil story

Wait what? Is this for real?

JOE

Ah come on now.

Mesut Ozil is renowned as one of the most exceptionally talented and technically gifted footballers in world football. When it comes to mastery of the ball, be it in terms of control, manipulation, weight of pass, or accuracy of delivery, it is widely acknowledged that the Arsenal man is unsurpassed.

Of course he has his critics, with some questioning his general workrate and/or physicality, but a lot of that tends to focus on non-specific indicators, such as body language and his perceived demeanour. Certainly the stats don’t seem to back up the perception that the player doesn’t put in a shift.

Jose Mourinho makes no secret of the fact he is a huge fan. Having managed the playmaker at Real Madrid, the Manchester United manager experienced his talents first-hand, and also appreciated the fact that the German was extremely adept at actioning his complex tactical instructions.

With the Arsenal man approaching the end of his current deal at the Emirates – with no sign or inclination to sign an extension – rumours have been growing that he’d very much like to be reunited with Mourinho at Old Trafford – and that the Portuguese would love to add the player to his array of stars.

You’d expect that United fans would be delighted at the prospect of nabbing one of their rivals’ star performers at the peak of his career for zero money. But surprisingly, you’d be wrong. It seems that the Old Trafford faithful don’t want Ozil, especially if it affects the playing time of the likes of Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Seeing as many of the same supporters poo-poo’d the idea of Nemanja Matic joining last summer, and have been emphatically proved wrong by the midfielder’s performances in the United engine room, one would hope they’d learn to trust Mourinho’s judgement. But alas, they clearly feel they’re too good for poor Mesut…