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United renew Gattuso interest[/font]
Wednesday 18 January, 2006
[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Manchester United have renewed their interest in Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, according to reports in Italy.
Having given up on Bayern Munich’s Michael Ballack, it seems that the Red Devils – whose chief executive David Gill has been spotted in Milan recently – have identified Gattuso as the ideal replacement for Roy Keane, who left for Celtic recently.
Sir Alex Ferguson is a great admirer of the combative midfielder and the 28-year-old has also made no secret of his desire to one day move to Old Trafford.
"My dream is to play for Manchester United," he told the Daily Mail, after United first showed an interest in him last year. "They are a side that have always interested me. I’d love to try a new experience, maybe in two or three years time…"
Gattuso has since said that he would like to stay at Milan for life and that he has had "a couple of chats" with the club’s Vice-President Adriano Galliani to that effect.
But Rino has also suggested in the past that it is unhealthy to stay in any one place for too long and Milan’s latest title blow will have done little to kill his wanderlust.
"The way I see it, a player should change clubs every two or three years mainly for motivational reasons," he said while training with the national team last year. "That is why in the last few days I have thought about leaving Milan."
If United are serious about recruiting the Italy international in the summer, an imminent offer would certainly turn the player’s head.
Gattuso wants to avenge the disaster of Istanbul by winning the Champions League this season with Milan but a return to Britain - where he first made his name with Rangers - after this season could well suit the fiery ball-winner.
"The way I play is more suited to across the channel," he declared at Coverciano in 2005. "That’s where I will return.
"The game in Italy is too technical for me," he continued. "My characteristics are more cut-and-thrust, more British."
Some reports on Wednesday suggest that United could offer Ruud Van Nistelrooy as part of the deal to sign Gattuso.[/font]
It's about time he made up his mind