Manchester United
Premier League • England
Prime Man Utd target reacts to transfer ‘talk’ and discusses new deal at current club
Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot has spoken about his failed move to Manchester United in the summer and responded to questions about a new contract in Turin.
Erik ten Hag was gunning to improve his squad this summer by bringing a new midfielder to Manchester United. Clearly, he didn’t think the existing options of Fred and Scott McTominay were good enough.
Manchester United spent most of the transfer window trying to negotiate a deal for Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong. They eventually reached an agreement with Barca, only for De Jong to snub their contract offer. As a result of this, their agreement with Barca expired and the Dutchman remained at the Camp Nou.
Man Utd had to quickly hunt for De Jong alternatives. They soon landed on Rabiot, who is facing an uncertain future at Juve.
His contract with the Italian giants expires at the end of the season and Juve are currently deciding whether to offer him an extension or complete a sale.
Man Utd briefly planned to pounce on the situation by signing Rabiot from Juve. However, the transfer rumour was met with dismay from several pundits and a majority of the club’s fan base.
Rabiot has a history of creating problems in the dressing room. He can have a bad attitude if things don’t go his way, something which was a concern for Man Utd supporters.
They were also worried about his mother, Veronique Rabiot, who can cause similar problems around a club or national team. She did exactly this when France were knocked out of Euro 2020 by Switzerland in the round of 16.
Rio Ferdinand glad Man Utd didn’t sign player
Pundit Rio Ferdinand also questioned Rabiot’s ability to score goals from midfield while the talks between Man Utd and Juve were ongoing.
“There’s no doubting that Rabiot is a seriously talented footballer,” Ferdinand said. “Great left foot, brilliant at carrying the ball and dribbling and taking the ball under pressure, can pass – very well over short distances especially.
“The position Man United probably see playing him is one of the holding players, or an eight. My biggest concern with that is that, if he’s going to be an eight, he doesn’t score enough goals.
“I think McTominay has got more goals over the last couple of seasons than him and he doesn’t get enough either. So will the fanbase be happy? Given that they’ve been going for Frenkie de Jong, Rabiot is obviously the second, third or fourth option.”
Ultimately, Man Utd ended their interest in Rabiot not long after setting their sights on him. And the 27-year-old remained at Juve, where he has played seven times this season.
Adrien Rabiot breaks silence on Man Utd discussions
During a recent interview with Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Rabiot reacted to the Man Utd links by saying: “There was a lot of talk, but I’ve always been focused both in training and in the game.”
Attention then turned to the potential contract renewal at Juve. He replied: “I don’t know. At the moment, there are other things to think about. I’m focused on the pitch and doing well for the team, to get them out of the difficult and then we’ll see what happens.
“Honestly, I’m not even thinking about the World Cup. I think it’s the same thing for the others too, we need to stay focused on the club.”
In the end it was probably a good decision for Man Utd to avoid signing Rabiot. They have had problems in the dressing room in the past and Rabiot’s arrival could have seen this happen again.
By not signing Rabiot, Man Utd have saved money as they look to go back in for De Jong next year. The Red Devils will once again face a battle to land him, but club chiefs are confident it will be different this time around.
It would be brilliant for Man Utd if they could partner De Jong with Casemiro in midfield. The Brazilian put in a great display as Man Utd beat Everton on Sunday.