Opinion

Is it just me, or is returning to your former club the in-thing these days? I don’t know what it is, but everywhere I look there have been players jumping ship back to their old hunting ground. Okay, maybe not everywhere I look, but still, it’s becoming pretty common nowadays.

And with another summer transfer window just around the corner, expect to see an influx of these wannabe ‘one-club’ legends returning to their beloved ‘home’.

The boy Pogba kicked it all off with his record-breaking move back to Old Trafford, although the fact that it is subject to a FIFA investigation is slightly disconcerting for the footballing world. His agent won’t be complaining though, probably still making mega bucks as we speak.

Burnley’s Michael Keane is reportedly looking to follow in the footsteps of the emoji-loving Frenchman, as he has been heavily linked with a move back to Manchester in the summer. The defender has impressed once again this season, but if I’m being honest, I don’t see what Keane has to offer as United seemingly draw most of their games 0-0 anyway.

Adam Smith is another linked with a return home, with the ex-Spurs (who knew?) full-back reportedly on his way to replace Kyle Walker. I for one would welcome the deal as firstly I, like many others, rate Smith highly, but furthermore think he’s a better player than people think, and secondly, I genuinely think Walker is massively overrated. He does have talent, but I honestly think that the right-back has been over-hyped by the English media, and I think Poch has realised this and has deservedly given Kieran Trippier his chance who, on an unrelated note, never fails to disappoint.

Imagine my utter shock then when Walker made the PFA Team of the Year ahead of the likes of a certain Victory Moses, and then my further disbelief when I heard that he’s been linked with a £35m move to Man City?!

Those potential transfers then got me thinking of just how amazing this could be as a Liverpool fan. I reckon young Luis still is getting fed up at Barca and wants another crack at the Premier League, while I hope Xabi Alonso’s retirement is all just a ruse, and that he’ll turn up alongside Suarez sometime in August…fingers crossed!

I’d welcome an Arjen Robben return to Chelsea just to see the most left-footed footballer back in England, and I’d even like to see Gareth Bale back at Spurs someday, but in no circumstances can Cristiano get a move back to Manchester. Sorry but he’d be too good for that current side, and I’d enjoy another United absence from the top four again next year.

I’ve got money on Gonzalo Higuain re-joining Real Madrid for a ridiculous amount somewhere down the line, with a cheeky Alvaro Morata switch in the other direction, but only if he hasn’t gone to football-mad China by then…