Louis Saha: ‘Spain deserved to win Euro 2024’

After another European Championship final heartbreak for England, Premier League legend Louis Saha believes that Spain deserved their triumph, but still thinks that Gareth Southgate taking them to two consecutive finals in the competition is a “tremendous achievement.” Speaking exclusively to Betfred, Saha also spoke about Jadon Sancho’s return to the Manchester United first-team, new Red Devil’s signing Joshua Zirkzee and his former club’s pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt.

Do you believe Spain were the deserved winners of Euro 2024?

“Firstly, I want to congratulate the England team because they made their way to the final in what was a difficult tournament. Ultimately, I do believe that good football has won the competition in the end and Spain were the stronger team. They controlled the game and they deserved their victory.”

Rio Ferdinand claimed that he believes this Spain team could eventually dominate for years to come. Do you agree with your former teammate?

“For once I’m going to have to disagree with Rio. In this tournament, Spain played better, but I wasn’t hugely impressed by the players. They have quality young players such as Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, and Rodri is obviously a great player as well, but back in the day they had players like Fernando Torres in his prime and all the talent from the great Barcelona team too.

“I still think that France and England have better players, but they didn’t play with an approach that would allow their courage to shine through. They should have. Luis de la Fuente did a tremendous job allowing Spain to play with freedom and that’s what France and England should have done as well and here in France, that’s why some people were unhappy with Didier Deschamps. 

“Ultimately, good football has won against a team that played a bit too safe, but has better players. Spain has good players, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not as if they won 4-0 and created loads of chances. They did enough to contain the opposition, but England’s game was too safe.”

Do you believe both Didier Deschamps and Gareth Southgate deserve to take their respective national teams to the World Cup in 2026?

“It seems as if Didier Deschamps will stay on as the manager of the national team, so I think I can answer that with a bit of guarantee regarding whether he will take this France team to the World Cup in 2026.

“Regarding Gareth Southgate, to take England to two consecutive Euros finals is a tremendous achievement. England has so many good players and a very strong squad, full of talent and energy. They’re a very young squad, with a lot of passionate players and I do believe Gareth Southgate understands what he needs to do and he’s made some bold decisions, such as taking Harry Kane off after 60 minutes against Spain in the final. I’m sure England’s players can respond to more pressure, but they need a license to play with more freedom going forward.”

Now onto Manchester United. Are you surprised that Jadon Sancho has been reintegrated into your former club’s squad?

“Things are changing, including the structure of the club, and when you improve the structure, that’s going to be advertised to everyone, including those individuals around the players. They may see now that all the decisions being made aren’t solely the managers and we don’t know for sure, but decisions may have been made that instruct Erik ten Hag to be on board with situations like this. 

“They’ve got pre-season now and we will get a better idea if Jadon Sancho is part of their plans. It’s a good sign ultimately, because it’s showing that discussions are going on and his time in Dortmund has possibly helped Jadon’s situation because maybe he wouldn’t have been reintegrated if he had a poor spell in Germany last season.”

Manchester United have had an £42 million bid accepted for Lille centre-back Leny Yoro, who we’ve spoken to you about previously. Do you believe he’s worth that amount of money? 

“Yes. The reasons behind why he’d cost this much is because of the current market, his age, potential and the fact he’s been linked with a lot of other big clubs. He’s definitely a good player that has the capacity to improve and he’s only 18 years old, he’ll bulk up and he’ll enjoy the Premier League if he joins. He’s a really, really strong prospect and I’m sure I’m not the only person that feels this way because I heard Rio Ferdinand speaking about him positively the other day. Rio was a centre-back himself, so that’s a good indication that the player is worth his price-tag.”

It’s said that Yoro prefers a move to Real Madrid, but United have made the first move. For what reasons do you believe Yoro could pursue a move to Old Trafford over the Santiago Bernabéu? Do you believe it could purely come down to Manchester United offering more money for the player?

“Yes because that’s the position Manchester United are in right now because they’re not in the Champions League and Real Madrid are the holders of it. It’s as simple as that. There are factors that attract players and sometimes you need to look at your trajectory and chances of progression. That will be part of Yoro’s decision, but it won’t stop him dreaming about playing for other clubs. Manchester United may not be in the Champions League this season, but we could be in a strong position in two or three years time, so anything can change. Life doesn’t stop today, you need to think about what can happen in future also. 

“I definitely see a better structure at Manchester United and this is something that Yoro could be aware of and on the table for him to consider, so hopefully he can make the right decision.” 

With Everton on the verge of selling Amadou Onana to Aston Villa for £50 million, it’s believed that Manchester United’s only hopes of signing Jarrad Branthwaite this summer are dependent on them making a huge offer for the centre-back, similar to the fees associated with the transfers of both Harry Maguire and Manchester City’s Joško Gvardiol. Do you believe they should pay huge money for Jarrad?

“It’s difficult for Manchester United. If you want a player of Jarrad’s quality and potential, then you’ve got to pay the price. All these things regarding his price-tag are dependent on the market and things that are deemed unrealistic, in the eyes of certain clubs, can happen. I’m not going to say that a player isn’t worth this or that, but what I do know is that Jarrad is a very talented player and I’m not surprised that he’s being pursued by others. Everton’s price-tag is a reflection of how highly they believe in his potential.”

Your former club are also said to be closing in on the signing of Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich for a rumoured cost of €50 million. Do you believe this would be a fantastic signing for your former club? Do you believe his previous working relationship with Erik ten Hag will help him adapt quicker to life at Old Trafford?

“Yes, it will help that he already knows the manager and his philosophy. It will also help that he already knows André Onana from his time at Ajax but just because Matthijs has this familiarity with certain players and the manager, it doesn’t mean that everything is going to be smooth sailing for him.

“He’s a very talented player and I know he may have had a difficult spell at Bayern Munich last season, but it’s great to hear that he’s really willing to come to Manchester United. It’s going to be tough competition with both Lisandro Martínez and Harry Maguire, but it will certainly be a strong set of options and this would be a good foundation for the team.”

With three centre-backs potentially incoming at Old Trafford this summer, do you believe the time could be right for Harry Maguire to depart the club or would you prefer Manchester United to keep a hold of him?

“To be honest, I thought he did really well last season and did tremendously well in some performances and scored a couple of goals. At times, he was the leader that we needed and this situation is going to be tremendously hard for him because the potential transfers coming in, in his position, are younger and big prospects. They’re going to need a chance to showcase their talents, so it’s going to be a difficult decision for Harry. He will understand that the defence is a foundation for the manager so there’s going to be more competition for him, but what I do know is that he will be very committed to the plan of Manchester United if he stays at the club.”

Are you excited by the signing of Joshua Zirkzee? What do you believe he will bring to Manchester United’s frontline that others don’t?

“He’s got a great workrate and has the ability to create his own chances. He’s a tall guy that’s very capable of playing with the ball at his feet. There are coaches at the club that can help him with his movement and to become more clinical with his finishing. 

“Joshua’s a player with a lot of potential and he can definitely provide a lot more unpredictability because he has a lot of flair and we’ve not seen that often from Rasmus Højlund. With what Joshua provides, they can definitely play with two up front because both of them are very strong players and now there’s a different type of formula for the manager to explore. He also brings competition because Anthony Martial has left the club and with his age, he will be eager to prove that he can be a tremendous striker in the Premier League. It’s a good reason for us to be excited.”

Manchester United are linked with a loan move for Dutch international, and Paris Saint-Germain forward, Xavi Simons. Would you like to see your former club pursue this move?

“What’s very interesting about this, is that a player with his profile is something we needed at Manchester United last season. We thought Mason Mount was going to provide that, but he didn’t. We needed a player that was going to find ways to disrupt defences and this is what Simons is doing currently. He’s brilliant at it and he showed that with the Netherlands. He gets into those spaces which are very difficult to mark and he’s always on the move as well. 

“In midfield, we have a lot of exciting players but I don’t believe that we have players that are able to break the lines. We need more unpredictability because we’re an attacking side and we need to gain those advantages when we can, so we definitely need players like this who are able to produce that unpredictability, provide legs, play in those pockets and always be courageous on the ball. He doesn’t shy away and he’s always a threat. I really like that about him.”

Speaking of Mason Mount, are you expecting big things from him in his second season at Old Trafford?

“I really don’t know because I was shocked by the standard of Mason Mount last season. I was shocked because he wasn’t finding the pockets, so he wasn’t dangerous when he was playing. He wasn’t impactful, so it was really strange. I don’t believe these excuses of having other players playing in your position that prevent your impact on games because you should have confidence in yourself to find ways to. I don’t believe football is that complicated.

“Coming into the new season, everything can change. You can have a different type of set-up or for players themselves, they can feel fresher from having a good pre-season. All those elements can work in your favour. I’m asking a lot because Mason Mount is a player that we’re waiting on to shine, he’s got the number seven on his back and I’m still awaiting big things. It could be a tough season for him if he doesn’t shine quickly, so I hope he can be very courageous and play the game with a smile on his face and with no fear. I believe he played with fear last season, but that could have been due to his fitness and injuries, so I hope that’s all behind him now.”

PSG’s Manuel Ugarte is another player rumoured to be on Manchester United’s radar. What did you make of him during his debut campaign in Ligue 1 and do you believe he could potentially be a good replacement for Casemiro, who’s currently linked with a move to Saudi Arabia?

“I think he had a good first half of the season at Paris Saint-Germain, especially in Ligue 1. He’s always ahead and plays comfortable football because there are so many good players at PSG, so In Ligue 1 they always play comfortably and he can’t really be tested. It’s only in the Champions League where you get tested as a PSG player and I think that’s where they needed to see him improve. He had a lot of players alongside him such as Vitinha, who just exploded, and [Warren] Zaïre-Emery, so he found it difficult to impose himself in that midfield, but for Manchester United, he’s that type of player that we really need.

“He’s very strong and has confidence on the ball. He can go forward with the ball, which is something that Casemiro is less likely to do, and he can provide that quick pass when he recovers the ball, which is very important for the team in transitions. Manchester United didn’t do that last season, we were very slow when trying to create that transition.

“In his first season, Casemiro was providing that and I do believe that Ugarte can provide something similar. I was a big fan of João Palhinha, but he’s gone to Bayern Munich. These players are very crucial for teams competing for titles and Rodri is the best in the world in that position currently. He provides so much comfort, but he’s super aggressive when going forward.

What are your thoughts on INEOS’ approach to transfers so far?

“I think it’s reflecting the identity of the club because they’ve always aimed to try and find the best young players, so their approach makes sense. However, does it have to be so rigid? Because we need players with experience as well, so it can't be all about young players. There is an element where you have a lot of new people in their staff such as technical directors, sporting directors, CEOs and those in recruitment coming into that structure, so it will be very interesting to see how they work together as a unit. 

“INEOS is at the very top and has already provided some good indication that they want to move things forward in the right way. We'll have to see what they do in the transfer market in the coming weeks, but we will also see how the hierarchy, along with the manager, will want the team to play. Results will be a good indicator for just how well this approach is working.”

Manchester City and Liverpool are currently linked with a move for Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon. If there’s a chance that Anthony could leave St James’ Park this summer, then should Manchester United be in the race to sign him?

“I’m not surprised that there’s interest in him because he’s been showing the signs of a player that wants to develop as quickly as possible.  I don’t think it's a good time for him to move however, because it’s not a good thing to move around different clubs frequently and he’s only been at St James’ Park for 18 months. I would advise him to remain at Newcastle this summer. 

“In regards to whether I want Manchester United to join the race to sign him, I think Manchester United will always like those types of players that can be unpredictable, that are hardworking and can impact games. His workrate is certainly an advantage, but he’s also very solid technically. Similar to Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony brings energy, confidence and drive and that’s so exciting to see.”