Manchester United’s Premier League campaign couldn’t have started any better, with two of the three new signings stealing the show as they defeated West Ham 4-0 at Old Trafford.

A brace from Romelu Lukaku and contributions from Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial meant Jose Mourinho was probably the happiest manager in England – while Nemanja Matic’s solid performance continued to raise eyebrows on why Chelsea allowed the Serbian to join a league rival.

UNITED INTEREST

Despite that, Mourinho hasn’t shied away from the fact that he wanted to land four targets this summer and chief executive Ed Woodward has succeeded in delivering three of those requests, in Lukaku from Everton, Matic from Chelsea along with Victor Lindelof from Benfica.

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All summer, the Old Trafford outfit had been linked with a plethora of world class players who would have certainly been welcomed additions, ranging from the lengthy pursuit of Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann to Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic.

There was another name who Mourinho admitted he would love to have at the club, declaring his interest in Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale and went as far as saying that if he didn’t start against his side in the Super Cup final, he’d make an approach.

That didn’t happen, as he revealed that it was game over to sign the former Spurs star – but not everyone thought he was always going to remain at the Bernabeu.

BERNABEU EXIT

According to Mail Sport, Cristiano Ronaldo believed that the Welshman would swap Madrid for Manchester this summer when the genuinely strong interest from Mourinho and United was revealed.

He probably breathed a sigh of relief when Bale himself shot down the notion that he could be plying his trade at Old Trafford next season, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation that the upcoming campaign could be his final one in the Spanish capital.

The source has added that Bale wants to remain at Real for another year as he’s determined to prove his worth, but if the situation changes then United could come calling again in 2018.

Bale’s future has been in doubt all summer, ever since it was revealed that Zinedine Zidane’s side could be looking to sign AS Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe in a mega-money deal and if that turns out to be the case, then it’s thought that Bale could be the member of the infamous BBC that departs.

Bale might be ready to fight for his place, should Mbappe join with only a couple of weeks remaining in the transfer window, but you can bet Mourinho will also have one eye on the situation.

Will Gareth Bale still be a Real Madrid player in 2018? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.

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