Southampton: Romeu tips former teammate Mane for Real Madrid move
By Marc Walker
Southampton midfielder Oriol Romeu has tipped former teammate Sadio Mane for a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid after his superb form this season.
Mane joined current club Liverpool in 2016 after impressing for Saints and has excelled with 20 goals in all competitions this season for the Reds.
The Senagalese forward is likely to play against his former employers and Romeu this coming Friday when Liverpool travel to St Mary’s for an important Premier League clash.
Speaking to Marca recently, Romeu said:
"“Yes, he is prepared (to make the jump to playing for Real Madrid). Madrid are a little weak in attack and he’s the type of player that does a lot of damage in open spaces. He could help them reverse their current situation.”"
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Romeu will know Spanish football well after coming through Barcelona’s La Masia academy and playing his first senior games for the La Liga giants’ first-team and B side.
The 27-year-old was also capped at Under-23 level by Spain and recently made his international debut for Catalonia.
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He and Mane were part of the most successful team that Saints have produced in recent years that finish 6th in the Premier League in 2015/16 and qualified for the Europa League group-stage the following season.
Mane would depart during that summer for around £37m after 75 appearances and 25 goals, but has since gone on to continue performing at Anfield whilst playing at the very highest level.
For Romeu, his spell with Saints seems to have produced the most settled period of his career.
He had struggled to make an impact at his previous clubs but is now a regular on the South Coast after signing from Chelsea back in 2015.
The happiness that he has been able to find at St Mary’s is also something that he spoke about with Marca:
"“It’s the most beautiful thing that happened to me when I arrived in 2015, it was unimaginable. I have three years of contract and I would not mind extending it. I’m very identified with the club, the fans…it’s difficult to improve.”"
Whilst he may not be the stand-out player each week and has had to come through some tough spells, Romeu provides an important balance to the team’s midfield.
His defensive qualities see him sitting in front of the defence and snuffing out opposition attacks to allow others such as James Ward-Prowse and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to affect the game further forward.
After struggling to keep his place under Mark Hughes earlier in 2018/19, he seems an key component for Ralph Hasenhuttl currently.