Former Manchester United and France striker Louis Saha spoke exclusively with Compare.bet this week following the big quarter-final clash between England and France. Saha shared his thoughts on the match, including the referee’s performance and Harry Kane’s penalty miss. Saha also spoke about a potential Old Trafford move for Declan Rice, the Glazer’s sale of Manchester United and Jude Bellingham’s rising stock.
- “Hopes ‘world’s best’ Bellingham is a United transfer target
- “Next owners need to learn from Glazer’s “horrific” mistakes
- “On Ronaldo’s next club: “I don’t think he’s after money”
- Saha urges United to renew “unplayable” Rashford’s contract
- “United are ‘great fit for terrific Declan Rice’
- Saha advises Maguire to have Ten Hag conversation and reclaim starting XI place
- Saha makes Sancho admission, warns Ten Hag against Gakpo transfer
MB: What were your thoughts on the England-France game?
LS: It was a great show, we all anticipated a tough game. The players didn’t let us down. The technical and tactical battles were amazing. The only person that wasn’t good was the referee. Apart from that, nobody can complain. It was a tight game, France managed to score, but mistakes from inexperienced players led to penalties for England.
MB: Do you think Kane can bounce back from his penalty miss?
LS: He will bounce back, he’s a great player and a top scorer, a top leader. There’s almost a curse with penalty kicks with England, so nothing has really changed there. It’s always painful. Last competition [Euro 2020], there were two or three players that were destroyed by the press. They managed to come back. Saka had a brilliant tournament, Rashford as well. They all performed, so we will definitely see Harry Kane do the same. He had a brilliant World Cup, scoring two goals and I think he deserves all the credit.
MB: Did you agree with the decision to take Bukayo Saka off?
LS: Everyone has their own opinion, it’s always easy to judge in hindsight, but he [Southgate] knows when the players might feel a bit tired. Maybe he wanted to refresh things on one side of the pitch. All those decisions are up to the manager. I think Saka was doing great. Things like this aren’t always logical. I think he tried to put Sterling in his preferred position with Rashford on the other side. You have to change personnel, that’s why you have a big squad. I’m sure the millions who watched the game would have differently, but maybe they wouldn’t have made the right decisions that Gareth has made so far to get to this stage.
MB: Thoughts on the referee?
LS: I think it was a poor performance to be honest. On one side, there were controversial fouls. Even on the penalty kick, he had to be helped by VAR. I think he didn’t have the greatest game, we’ve seen it so many times, unfortunately, some games are influenced a bit too much by the referee’s mistakes. Sometimes this can be easily avoided, and that’s why people are criticising him. It shouldn’t be happening at this stage of the competition, because the games should be officiated by the best referees. That type of performance shouldn’t be able to happen, because it detracts from the quality of the game and becomes a talking point. We should not be hearing about referees – the aim of the referee is just to make sure the integrity of the game is kept intact and that the rules are applied. I think France deserved the win, they scored goals and England didn’t take their opportunities – that’s part of the game, that’s it.
MB: Where does this World Cup rank for you in comparison to other tournaments and what will its legacy be?
LS: I think there was a lot of bad talk before the tournament from politicians, especially about climate and ethical issues. Rightly so, there was a lot of debate about the tournament, and I think there was some bad marketing in the build up, trying to sell the tournament to fans. But in the end, I really enjoyed the football I’ve seen. The intensity has been great, the players have shown a good amount of creativity, we’ve seen young players break out, and underdogs giving us surprises. The fans look like they’ve really enjoyed being there and the security has been great, we haven’t heard any news of any trouble in the streets, which isn’t true of some previous tournaments. So yes, you can comment on how much things could be better in some ways, but I’ve seen some great moments. Saudi Arabia beating Argentina for instance, or Morocco’s run to the semis. The quality we’ve seen is up there with the best we’ve ever seen at a World Cup. If France win it, I will say it’s the best ever World Cup!
MB: Cody Gakpo has impressed massively for Holland, and has been heavily linked with Man United – is he a player that ten Hag should be targeting?
LS: He’s a very good player, and has had a really good tournament. His performances on the biggest stage prove that he can perform in the Premier League, he’s so quick, and scores goals for his club and national team. I’d like to see him play at this level for another one or two years. I’m not convinced he should be signed straight away and he’ll be the right fit. We’ve seen quality players like Sancho struggle to transition to the Premier League. We know Gakpo is a quality player but would a move to United be right at the moment for his development?
MB: Jude Bellingham has already proven himself to be one of the world’s best central midfielders, where do you rank him among the world’s best and could you see United going in for him?
LS: I think he’s already one of the world’s best midfielders. Maybe the difference between him and players like Gakpo is Bellingham has shown he can play at this level consistently for a few years. At the World Cup he has shined but not just with creativity, he has shown maturity and is already a leader in this England squad. His energy level is unbelievable, he never looks tired at any moment of the game. He has courage, he puts himself in really good positions, and asks questions of defenders. All these things, we rarely see a player of his age be able to do. I really hope he is one of the main targets for Man United because he’s a unique player. There is no one like him. If anything, they should sign him so no one else can! He’s that good.
MB: The Glazers have officially announced they will be selling the club – what are your thoughts on this?
LS: I think if they feel like it’s the right moment for them to go, then it’s good. The fans have put them under immense pressure and after the Super League drama, which was horrific, they lost trust. I think Cristiano Ronaldo’s interview showed the issues. Now everyone could see someone from inside the club was blaming the owners, and that was not right. It’s the right timing. The next owners need to make sure they listen to the fans, and listen to the players. They need to know what has been done badly in recent years, because the criticism from Cristiano and other ex-players should not be happening at a club like Manchester United. Let’s hope the new owners will come with a massive desire to improve, to innovate and put the club back where it belongs.
MB: It seems as if no elite Champions League club is interested in signing Ronaldo – why do you think this is?
LS: If I think it’s more about the difficulty for him to accept that perhaps he’s not going to be the big star. So clubs are afraid with how they’d deal with this if they come to the conclusion that some games he’s not going to play, some games he’ll be rested. It’s more about the management of the player, I don’t think it’s a quality issue. He’s still a player that can score 30 goals, and no one at the moment aside from three to four players in Europe can do that. He’s still up there with the best, it’s more about the management, whether it’s him or his entourage, it could be a difficult aspect for the clubs to protect themselves. Commercially he’s still a massive attraction, his salaries still a big problem but less of an issue now because he wants to play. I don’t think he’s after the money, he doesn’t need it, if it was about the money he would’ve already signed for a Saudi Arabian club.
MB: Do you think he may have tarnished his legacy with his actions for United and Portugal in recent times?
LS: In some way, but I’m not going to say tarnished. Human nature wants us to speak badly about him, and that’s the main problem that I have. A lot of people jump on the opportunity to say ‘Oh, he’s not the same as before, oh he’s too difficult, if the team is not playing well it’s because of Cristiano’, because he’s such an attraction, he’s so well known around the world. Not everything he does is going to be perfect, so people will speak badly about him. That’s totally unfair, and that’s the problem. What I see, from club and country, I could see it the opposite way, as people are jumping on him and blaming Cristiano. The player deserves support when he needs it. Ok, just one time maybe the guy fails, perhaps he’s not quite as good as before. Did anyone give him a chance? Did the club or the national team give him, one time, the possibility to say, ‘Ok because it’s Cristiano, I’ll give him a chance.’ No, I don’t see it. This is where I’m really sad, going out the World Cup the way he did. Because he’ll come out of this World Cup thinking, ‘Maybe I could’ve helped my team if I was given the chance.’ Nobody else deserves a second chance more than Cristiano Ronaldo. And he doesn’t get it. You have to remember, for anybody in any job, if Cristiano Ronaldo has faced that, anybody can face that. You can be as good as you are, if tomorrow you fail and you’ve done absolutely everything in your power, to help your country and your club or your company, you’re out. It’s a rarity.
MB: PSG President Al-Khelaifi gushed over Rashford last week, saying they discussed a transfer before but the timing was not right, before heavily implying PSG will be looking at him again this summer. Do United need to lock him down to a new contract?
LS: Yeah, you can see that he’s a terrific player, nobody has any doubts about that. Yes he had a horrific previous season, he lost his confidence, and his drive. He’s now got it back, so yes I wish he’d remain at United. I understand why any big club in the World would be very interested in his services, because the guy is a terrific player. He controls is emotions, he doesn’t let them go. This is where he’s very dangerous. When he expresses and loves his game as much as he wants, makes us all smile, he’s unbelievable. When he controls them, sometimes overthinks, with defensive people coming into his mind, it’s not the same player. So I think some of the moments he had before with United were not helpful, but he’s shown straightaway that when he’s in the right frame of mind, he’s unplayable.
MB: Harry Maguire has also had a good tournament for England – is there still a place in the starting 11 for him at Manchester United?
LS: Yeah, who knows. He’s had a great World Cup for his country, he never lets his country down. He had a bad season and struggled to recover his form, anything can happen after a competition like this. Those players who have performed, have maybe seen what was happening in the club was not right. It’s possible to have a discussion with the club and say, ‘Look, I need to play.’ To feel supported, because we know he’s a quality player, there is competition and that’s totally normal. He’s the captain of the club. He understands that if he’s not playing well, if he’s not doing more than what he was doing before, he has no guarantees. I think it’s about him proving himself. Every moment he’s given an opportunity, he has to show that he’s better than the others, that’s it. Whether it means he has to score goals as a defender, to prove that he’s worth a chance, that he can defend and attack, that’s what any player has to do, they have to do more.
MB: Many people believe that Manchester United desperately need another centre-back to compete with Varane and Martinez if they are to challenge for trophies. Is there anyone who has impressed you at this World Cup who should be targeted?
LS: Yes, but to be honest, I do think that football has changed, so I struggle to find really good defenders. I don’t know why, but I don’t tend to see defenders diving in anymore, not committing anymore. Football has changed, it doesn’t provide the same opportunities for aggressiveness. You need more tactical awareness than anything. If you don’t have the right team, you can’t really perform as a defender at the moment, it’s really strange. Yes there are maybe one or two players like Van Dijk, who seems to be physically above everybody, but when you look at any defender it’s like ‘Ok yeah, physically good’, but now defenders need to be 80% or 90% focus and anticipation. Lisandro Martinez has proved that size doesn’t matter anymore. So, finding the complete defender is really hard, it’s all about the team. They need to be tested in another team, to see how they might jell with a different back four or back three.
MB: Aaron Wan Bissaka’s time at United is seemingly coming to a close – why do you think it didn’t work for him?
LS: I don’t know. I really think that he’s one of those types of players who, when they have full confidence and they get this momentum going because the team is playing well, no one will question anything. The problem is, I repeat, that Man United was not playing well. Man United was not a team that you go to and enjoy your football. You’ve seen Sancho, he’s a terrific player, why are things not going well? I think it’s probably because mentally – and, maybe at some point technically or physically – he was not ready, and the momentum was lost. And now it’s really hard because the club is not playing well, so you have to defend more when normally you would have confidence and attack more. This is maybe what happened with Wan Bissaka because he can defend, but he likes to go forward and help and improve in this department, but he couldn’t! He actually had to find maybe a new way to improve because his quality, physically, is unbelievable. So I would again blame the transition period. The performances have not been the greatest for any player coming to United.
MB: Amad Diallo was excellent for Sunderland last week as they beat Millwall 3-0. It hasn’t worked out for him despite his huge price tag, do you think he still has a future at United?
LS: I think yes, any player that has been scouted and portrayed like that, has quality. I am not only blaming the transition or something like this. Sometimes you’re just not ready. You’re young, you will have to take the time to adapt to a new league – and the Premier League is a different animal. But in one or two years let’s talk, after a spell in Sunderland where I think he will understand the physicality, the demand, the intensity, week in week out. It will help him to actually develop as a player, and as a man. You know, sometimes you’re just not ready, but it doesn’t mean that you are a bad player, it just means your body shape and stuff need to adapt. When you look at other players his age, like Jude Bellingham, he’s taller, his position demands different energy levels, and he’s ready. But it’s different with players like Diallo.
MB: Most signs point to Declan Rice leaving West Ham in the summer. Where do you think he might go?
LS: Obviously, he’s a terrific player, and he deserves to dream about playing Champions League football. I understand that there are big clubs in England that have looked for his services, but I would’ve thought that United would be a great fit. But definitely, there is competition at that position with Casemiro now, so I don’t know, to be honest. He’s a player with a lot of potential, and I’m finding it a bit strange that, if in the last two years he has proven to everybody that he doesn’t want to remain in West Ham, there must be a reason why big clubs haven’t made more of an effort to sign him. He’s a good player, very consistent, a leader, and can score goals, so I don’t know what it is. It’s a subject that I’m a bit unsure about.
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