Real Madrid have finally appointed their new manager
No, not that guy… and no, not him, either.
Instead, they’ve appointed Julen Lopetegui as their new head coach, scheduled to take charge at the Bernabeu after he’s finished managing Spain at the World Cup.
Lopetegui was Porto boss prior to taking the big job with Spain in 2016. Prior to that, he also oversaw the Spanish U21 team which won the 2013 European Championships.
Several members of that team are a part of Spain’s senior squad for this summer’s tournament in Russia, including Thiago Alcantara, Koke and a certain David De Gea… Yep. You know where this one’s going.
De Gea has, you may recall, been linked with a move to Real Madrid a couple of times in the past. In 2015, he was a dodgy fax machine away from signing for them, only for it all to go spectacularly wrong at the eleventh hour. He’s stayed put at Manchester United ever since, though rumours he may be on the cusp of a move to the European champions are never too far away.
So, with the news of Lopetegui’s next job announced, you can probably guess that many United fans were slightly uneasy about what this might mean for the future of their number one goalkeeper – especially given that he’ll be spending plenty of time with him in the coming weeks.
Interesting that David de Gea is to spend the next month with the new Real Madrid manager.
— Jonas Adnan Giæver (@CheGiaevara) June 12, 2018
New Real Madrid manager the current Spanish coach. De Gea spending a whole month with him…..Hope we've got some agreement in place because that's a concern #MUFC
— Mark Goldbridge (@markgoldbridge) June 12, 2018
David De Gea is going to spend a month with the next Real Madrid manager. Bet they’ll talk about the weather and their favourite snack. pic.twitter.com/rNNKPnxe4n
— The United Link 🏆 (@TheUnitedLink) June 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/Gicherengo/status/1006572367823458304
Wouldn’t surprise me if Madrid have appointed Lopetegui as manager just to further unsettle De Gea over the next month, in the hope they can finally sign him and then ultimately sack Lopetegui and replace him next summer with a more long term target like Pochettino.
— Red Devil Chronicle đź”° (@wefollowunited) June 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/Rvk2a/status/1006556926266703873
You get the idea.
Buckle in United fans. It could be another looong summer.
Spain kick off their World Cup campaign against Iberian neighbours Portugal on Friday night in Sochi – perhaps giving Lopetegui the ideal opportunity to have a word in a certain Cristiano Ronaldo’s ear about his plans for the future. After that, the 2010 champions will take on Iran in Kazan the following Wednesday, with their final group game against Morocco in Kaliningrad on Monday 25.
