Andy West thinks Manchester United "have to be considered" when we discuss the clubs that Lionel Messi might move to in the future.
The 33-year-old Argentinian rocked the Nou Camp on Tuesday when he informed FC Barcelona of his intention to leave the club.
"There’s an interesting reason why I think United have to be considered," West, author of 'Lionel Messi and the Art of Living' said on OTB AM this morning.
"The biggest sport story of the year was in the United States when the legendary quarterback, Tom Brady, one of the greatest players in history left the New England Patriots and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"Who owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? The Glazers. So when they make these moves, they make big moves.
"Will they see what they did in Tampa and say, 'we’ll do that in football now'. It’s unlikely but it’s a possibility."
West also feels that the composition of the United squad might allow Messi to thrive again.
"What Messi needs is young players around him who will run. This has been Barcelona’s problem and it was really highlighted in the Champions League game against Bayern," West said.
"Football's become much more athletic, much more dynamic. Barcelona don’t have that, that’s one of the reasons why they have fallen off a cliff so dramatically. They have a team of old players."
In stark contrast to Barcelona, Manchester United have a very youthful squad.
"United have all these youngsters who could allow Messi to not run. Allow him to be the luxury player up front and do all his running for him. All those young players buzzing around him, it could work," West said.
"You’ve got Martial, Rashford and Greenwood. These young kids will be happy to do the running for Messi and receive his glorious assists and set him up for chances that he will take.
"It would be a massive challenge for Solskjaer to get the balance right but in a football sense it could be a very good fit."
South American football expert Tim Vickery also featured on Wednesday's OTB AM and echoed West's sentiments.
"If we're talking about Messi at this stage needing to be surrounded by attacking pace, well United have that in spades," Vickery said.
"In footballing terms that may be the easiest fit, perhaps even an easier fit than Man City.
"What a move that would be for United. All through their history since the days of Matt Busby they have gone out of their way to be a real glamour club. It would be a signing that would really scream out that United are working in that tradition after a few years where the bar has been lowered."
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