Sneijder signing may be smoke and mirrors for Dundee United
Published:
It’s safe to say that when many Dundee United fans woke up to see they’d signed Sneijder, their hearts skipped a beat. After coming down from cloud nine, most will have realised it is not the multi-talented Dutch legend Wesley, but rather his younger and arguably, more dashing brother Rodney.
Attention will have then turned to whether his addition can help the Terrors improve on the previous campaign’s fourth-place finish (they’re 10/1 in the betting without Celtic market).
The 24-year-old started his footballing life, somewhat unsurprisingly, as part of the Ajax youth setup before a loan move to Utrecht and eventually jumping ship to RKC Waalwijk in 2014 after being snubbed by the Amsterdam club.
Sneijder is a man who knows how to make good first impressions. He scored on his debut for Utrecht and went one better by bagging a brace on his first outing for Waalwijk. Not a bad way to introduce yourself to your new supporters, he is 11/2 to notch on his debut against Aberdeen.
However, rather worryingly for United fans, that’s where the fun seems to stop when it comes to the lesser-known sibling. He went on to score just two more goals for Utrecht and failed to register any further strikes for Waalwijk in his two years at the club.
There is no doubting that the Dutchman is a man of considerable talent, he was wanted by Real Madrid back in 2008 only for the move to be blocked by his brother, but there is a big question mark as to whether he can deliver on a regular basis.
Tannadice boss Jackie McNamara has described the Lancers academy graduate as a ‘major coup’ for the club but while the name brings with it welcome attention, Sneijder has to show he can have an impact well beyond the honeymoon period.
A move to Scotland has eased his hold on his brother’s coat tails but it remains to be seen whether Rodney is more cushty than plonker.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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