Pedro Rodriguez might be on his way to Manchester United from Barcelona, and the Spanish Giants’ friendly match against AS Roma could end up being the last time that he will don the Barcelona colours at their home ground.
Although a squad number has been provided to Pedro, he is on his way out of the club this summer and Old Trafford is to be his new home ground.
With Angel Di Maria more than likely to leave Manchester United, most fans have been attributing that to Ashley Young’s comeback. However, that bitterness would be better aimed at Di Maria himself who was quite disrespectful to the club and to the fans, who did give him an easy time despite his palpable struggles. Ultimately, now, Di Maria’s time in the Red Devils’ camp can’t be considered a success and now he has joined Paris Saint Germain.
Signing Pedro Rodriguez is a good signing, but Pedro’s football skills are not as sharp as Di Maria’s. He cannot be viewed as a replacement for Di Maria as such. However, this does not imply that he will fail to turn into a better and more talented player, if nurtured properly and steered in the right directions.
During Barcelona’s recent victories and successes, players like Messi, Iniesta, Neymar, Xavi, etc., are the ones who received most of the accolades. Pedro might have been more in the background, but there is no denying the fact that he was one of the strengths of Barcelona’s very foundation. And during his time at Camp Nou, he has seen several strong players such as Ibrahimovic, Henry, Eto’o, David Villa, etc., and it is safe to say that he has reached a point where he has surpassed them all at the club.
It is sad how his talent is so underrated by people outside Barcelona. He has scored almost a 100 goals for his club even though he has not always featured in the first XI. Luis Enrique mentions only Neymar, Suarez and Messi, when it comes to the strong forwards, but he is deigned to let Pedro leave. He was also a Pep Guardiola favourite and one of the most dependable players for the former boss.
Louis Van Gaal needs to add pace to his attack and Pedro is an apt choice. He is quick and extremely efficient as far as finishing is concerned. According to Squawka, he had a 65% shot accuracy in the 2014/15 La Liga. He might have played only in 15 games last season, but he managed to score 6 goals and contribute 6 assists. He is likely to be a fit for Van Gaal’s tactical approach to collective effort in attack, defence and possession.
At Manchester United, he is expected to be on the right hand side of a 3 man attack in LVG’s 4-3-3. Mata filled up that place for most of last season, but Pedro would be a better fit, given his natural pace. He could also be good at pressing from the front like he did for Pep Guardiola.
