According to reports from Sky Sports, manager Eddie Howe has warned Manchester United that Bournemouth are ‘not a selling club’ following reported interest in star midfielder Matt Richie.
The Scotland international was one of the driving forces behind the Cherries’ promotion to the top flight last season, claiming 15 goals and 17 assists in 46 Championship appearances, and has continued to impress in the Premier League.
He’s been amongst Bournemouth’s best performers this term to find two goals and one assist in twelve appearances – including a Goal of the Month contender against Sunderland in September – whilst ranking in the Premier League’s top ten for the number of accurate crosses per match, with an average of 1.8.
Louis van Gaal has made no secret of his desire to sign another wide man in January, despite spending a combined £60million on winger-forwards Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial during the summer, having told reporters after a 2-0 win over West Brom earlier this month; “You have seen that now we play with Jesse Lingard and he is not the most speedy winger in the world and Mata is also not the most speedy winger in the world. So first we must first finish that problem and then we can see how we have to play and how we are in balance with playing with speedy wingers.”
And two British newspapers – The Sun and The Daily Mail – have both reported that the 26-year-old is in the Old Trafford gaffer’s thoughts ahead of the January transfer window. They claim United scouts are currently running the rule over Ritche as one of the names on van Gaal’s shortlist of potential midseason additions.
However, manager Eddie Howe, speaking in today’s pre-match press conference as Bournemouth prepare for a tough visit to Swansea City on Saturday, has insisted the club aren’t looking to cash in on their star midfielder.
He told Sky Sports; “Matty’s a good player so it’s not a surprise to me he’s linked to the top clubs. Matt Ritchie on form and playing well is a threat to anybody. Whenever any of our players gets linked, it’s not welcome by us. We’re not a selling club and we certainly want to keep the squad together if we can in January and not the other way.
“We’d have to see [a Manchester United bid] on its individual merit, but certainly we’re not looking to sell him,” Howe added.