The World Cup winner finds himself sitting on the bench in the Bundesliga, but he can still cut it at the highest level
The Thomas Muller to Manchester United rumour is not new. The story has been circulating since Louis van Gaal was in charge of the Red Devils back in 2014 and was linked with a £100 million ($168m) move for the World Cup winner.
“I can confirm that I wanted Muller. But there was nothing we could do,” Van Gaal admitted last year. “FC Bayern made it clear that they would not sell him.”
A year later, Germany’s captain moved from Bayern Munich to Manchester United, but it was Bastian Schweinsteiger, rather than Muller, who left Germany’s most-successful club for England’s most-decorated side.
However, the move was a disaster for all parties, with Schweinsteiger playing just 18 league games in two seasons, United missing out on the top four in both campaigns and Van Gaal getting the chop to be replaced by Jose Mourinho.
After being forced to train by himself by Mourinho, Schweinsteiger left Old Trafford for Major League Soccer franchise the Chicago Fire. Pep Guardiola had managed the Germany legend in Bavaria and correctly predicted that the midfielder might have problems playing at the highest level in England.
“He is a top, top player,” Guardiola said when Schweinsteiger joined United. “Unfortunately, during the last three years he was never in good condition.”
A similar warning is unlikely in 2020 if United finally get their man, having once again been linked with a move for Muller.
The new rumours come as the 30-year-old attacker is no longer first choice at Bayern. However, unlike Schweinsteiger’s latter years at the club, this change in status is not due to injury problems but rather the arrival of Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho.
The former Liverpool forward has taken on the No.10 role preferred by Muller in recent seasons, leading Bayern coach Niko Kovac to regularly leave Muller on the bench rather than play both together.
“That would be too attacking,” Kovac said in September when asked if Muller could play alongside Coutinho. “Both players have their own qualities getting forward, but we need a good balance. I haven’t ruled it out altogether, but at the moment it’s not an option.”
A run of games on the bench led to Muller expressing his frustration, with the Bayern youth product even hinting that he may have to leave the club should he continue to be overlooked.
“Of course the new signings increased the competition in my best position but that’s not the problem,” he said.
“That’s not what it’s all about. A manager has to make difficult decisions ahead of every game. But in the recent five games there has been a trend that doesn’t make me happy.
“If the coaching staff see me as a sub in the future, I will have to think about my situation. I’m too ambitious to not do that.”
Muller’s comments sent the media rumour mill into overdrive, linking him to United and Arsenal among other clubs.
Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic dismissed the notion of a sale, claiming it was merely paper talk: “That’s a story you want to write. We have two players (Niklas Sule and Lucas Hernandez) out for months and you are trying to tell us to sell a player. There’s no reason for doing this.”
However, Muller continues to be second choice behind Coutinho for the central attacking spot in Kovac’s 4-2-3-1 formation with Serge Gnabry or Kingsley Coman playing the right-wing role he is also suited to.
He continues to be extremely effective despite limited minutes, topping the club’s assist charts with four in the league and two in the Champions League. Despite not starting again, Muller was also the hero in the second round of the German Cup, coming off the bench to bag a last-minute winner against Bochum in midweek.
In fact, even with starts in just 50 per cent of Bayern’s league games this season, Muller is on target for his highest ever assists tally (14 in 2017-18 is his current best) and shows no signs of slowing down after turning 30.
The Raumdeuter’s game was never based on speed, but rather movement and intelligence, and these are attributes that only improve with age. Any team would be lucky to sign Muller if he finally decides to leave the club close to his heart.