Manchester United
Premier League • England
Man Utd told they’ve committed unforgiveable transfer blunder with ‘outstanding’ player
Man Utd hierarchy Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox
Manchester United might come to regret a transfer decision made by INEOS this summer, with one observer branding a player they chose NOT to sign as “outstanding”.
Man Utd entered the summer transfer window with a handful of secondary aims and one primary goal – revamp the midfield.
A left-back and potentially a left winger and striker are on the agenda too. However, it was a complete overhaul in the engine room that was always going to dominate the headlines.
The Red Devils have ticked off two of their three planned moves in the middle, with Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos joining for a combined £85m.
However, had United followed through with their original plans, the first arrival in central midfield would have been Ederson by way of Atalanta.
Personal terms were fully agreed and so too was a deal between the clubs worth £35m.
Ederson even passed the first part of a remote medical in the USA while on international duty with Brazil at the World Cup.
However, United saw something they didn’t like in the medical despite the player being given the all-clear.
Man Utd then instructed Ederson to undergo a second, more thorough medical in England after his World Cup duties came to an end.
A minor knee issue was again highlighted, though Atalanta maintained, both in public and private, that the player was fully fit and available to play.
In any case, Man Utd pulled the plug on the move, leading to Atalanta quickly ironing out a new contract with the Brazilian, such was their belief there wasn’t actually anything wrong with the player.
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Man Utd will regret backing out of Ederson transfer
And speaking to ESPN, pundit and commentator, Don Hutchinson, believes Man Utd will come to regret getting cold feet and aborting their deal with Ederson.
“I’m surprised they didn’t go back for Ederson,” exclaimed Hutchinson.
“I think he’s an outstanding player who can make other players around him better. He’s just signed a new deal in Atalanta but he’s a very, very good player.”
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Despite that criticism, Hutchinson went on to praise Man Utd’s recent transfer windows under INEOS.
“They’ve had a couple of really, really outstanding windows, good windows, buying very, very good players and young, promising players,” he added.
“I think it’s just being a little bit greedy if you want all these Champions League players to come in this summer.
“I think the strategy has obviously changed. They’re not going to go out and spend £100 million on players. That’s why they’ve walked away from one or two deals.”
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