This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Atletico Madrid were supposed to have their breakout season.

After all, with both Barcelona and Real Madrid – their main competitors for the La Liga crown – somewhat wounded and not really firing on cylinders at the very beginning of the campaign, this was Diego Simeone’s golden opportunity.

But Rojiblancos ended up having problems of their own and with just 16 goals scored in 16 games in the domestic league and eight in six Champions League clashes, they have so far been ineffective in front of goal.

As a result, they sit in sixth place in the table, eight points behind league leaders Barcelona.

And just recently, they were handed more bad news as Mundo Deportivo claim Manchester United could be making a swoop for one of their key players, Saul Niguez.

Of course, the midfielder reportedly has a release clause of €150m (£126.8m) but Paul Pogba’s reported desire to leave the club could spike interest from the Red Devils.

The 25-year-old has been Atletico’s second-best player according to Whoscored and offers the team a little bit of everything, with one goal in 1.3 shots per game, alongside more than just a decent defensive contribution with 2.1 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game.

Evidently, he is someone Simeone can’t afford to lose, especially considering that this Atletico side is very much known for their astute defending – seeing how they have the least amount of goals conceded in La Liga – which makes hard-working midfielders like Saul even more indispensable.

Of course, with Pogba potentially leaving the club, he does look like an excellent alternative for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Granted, the Spaniard doesn’t really influence the final product as much as the Frenchman – seeing how Pogba rattled the inside of the net 16 times across all competitions in 2018/19 – but his presence in the middle of the park is something United can definitely use, especially with their star’s potential departure to mull over.

And with 19 goals conceded in 16 Premier League games, a bit more solidity in front of their defence could definitely go a long way.

From their point of view, splashing the cash for someone like him does make a lot of sense, even in the scenario in which they are forced to pay his release clause.

If his work-rate and skill won’t persuade Solskjaer, maybe his versatility will.

In times of need, Saul can be deployed practically anywhere across the pitch bar the forward line. Against Barcelona, he even played as a make-shift left-back, plugging the holes when Simeone needed him to.

So far this season, we’ve seen him in four different positions as per the games Transfermarkt have in their database and he is the definition of a utility man.

But for that same reason, he is indispensable for the Rojiblancos.

One team’s fortune might mean the other’s demise if this deal goes through.

In other news, many Spurs fans were absolutely loving one of their key man’s recent quotes…