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MANCHESTER UNITED has joined the race to sign Gareth Bale for just £ 18.5 million, according to reports.
Real Madrid are desperate to get the golf-loving Welshman, and his £ 600,000 weekly salary, off their books.
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And now United have teamed up with Bale’s former club Tottenham in pursuit of a reduced rate.
If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saved Bale from his exile at the Bernabéu, he would have a variety of attacking options and formations to choose from.
SunSport has taken a look at five possible Man Utd XIs if Bale heads to Old Trafford …
4-2-3-1
ESTA was Solskjaer’s formation of choice for much of the second half of last season thanks to the arrival of Bruno Fernandes.
The Portuguese star enjoyed a sensational start at Old Trafford, particularly at No. 10.
Flanked by Bale and Marcus Rashford with Anthony Martial leading the way, United could be a real force in the future.
In midfield, rookie Donny van de Beek would join Paul Pogba in a tasty midfield pairing.
Dean Henderson is pushing David De Gea for a starting spot between the posts and he surely deserves his shot at United’s first team now.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka is a certainty to start as a right back with Harry Maguire, who has retained his captaincy for the season despite his alleged melee in Mykonos, starting as a central defender.
Chris Smalling will fight Victor Lindelof for the remaining center spot, with Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams rotating at left back.
4-3-3
THE modern classic, Solskjaer could roll 4-3-3 with Bale in the squad.
In this scenario, Bale would start on the right, with Rashford on the left and Martial in the middle, as appears to be Solskjaer’s preferred setup.
In midfield, Fernandes would sink further and join Pogba and Van de Beek, the Dutchman being the deepest of the three.
Solskjaer could line up the same four-defense line as the 4-2-3-1 for the sake of defensive consistency.
3-4-3 / 5-2-3
A VERSATILE formation that Chelsea made famous under Antonio Conte, Man Utd could use the 3-4-3 system.
In this XI, Smalling and Lindelof would likely start alongside Maguire, with Wan-Bissaka and Shaw acting as laterals.
In attack, the formation is a strong and aggressive 3-4-3 with plenty of breadth, while in defense, there is a solid bench of five with two central midfielders to cover.
A duo of Van de Beek and Fernandes would be the most complete, but Pogba would of course fight both for a starting spot.
Up front, Rashford, Martial and Bale would keep their places.
4-4-2
ONCE the bread and butter, now the wonderfully retro … Solskjaer knows all about playing for Man Utd at 4-4-2.
With the same back-four as previous formations, Solskjaer could depend on a well-trained group.
Welsh duo Daniel James and Bale seamlessly switching sides could wreak havoc in attack, with Martial and Rashford leading the way.
Mason Greenwood, of course, would be competing for a spot in the top two and could even take James’s place in a slightly deeper wing position.
But allowing Martial AND Having Rashford start at his favorite spot in the middle of the attack line could reap many rewards, like so many attacking duos throughout Man Utd’s history.
Van De Beek and Fernandes would likely take the two central midfield spots, and Pogba would settle for the impact substitute role.
3-5-2
Certainly the most attacking of all, Solskjaer could put up a 3-5-2 with Bale on the books.
With Maguire, Lindelof and Smalling on defense, United would have a lot of strength in the middle of the baseline.
But this formation would not provide defensive width, which means that attacking open men would need to fall back, which could detract from forward intent.
In midfield, a trio of Fernandes, Van de Beek and Pogba certainly look attractive on paper.
Across the board, Bale would be joined by one of Greenwood or James.
And more importantly, Rashford and Martial would retain their central attacking roles …
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