It has been revealed why Manchester United were ‘hugely frustrated’ by one player during the summer transfer window this year.
Manchester United were busy in the summer transfer window, completing the bulk of their business with four key arrivals.
Rúben Amorim strengthened his squad with the signings of Senne Lammens, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Šeško, all brought in to add quality and depth to the team.
Equally significant, however, were the outgoings. United finalized several exits, three of which were confirmed on deadline day.
Notable departures included Jadon Sancho, Antony, Rasmus Højlund, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, who all left either permanently or on loan deals.
Why United were “hugely frustrated” by player rejection
It was surprising to see a club finally come forward for Sancho in the final days of the window after he rejected opportunities in Italy.
Aston Villa entered panic station on deadline day after their poor start to the season and signed Sancho on loan, while also bringing in Victor Lindelöf after his United contract expired a couple of months ago.
With at least 80 per cent of Sancho’s huge wages being covered by the Midlands club, it is seen as a decent deal for United.
But it was only a few weeks ago when it seemed like the Reds could receive up to £20 million for Sancho, which would have been brilliant, but the player refused to move to AS Roma in Italy.
United journalist Andy Mitten has explained that Sancho’s rejection of Roma, after taking video calls with the Serie A club’s chiefs, frustrated those at Old Trafford.
“I think Sancho was the most difficult deal for the club to do in the transfer window,” Mitten said on the Talk of the Devils podcast.
“Roma were prepared to pay around £20 million for Jadon Sancho – Manchester United would have much rather had £20 million than nothing from Aston Villa.
“Video calls were set up but, for whatever reason, Jadon Sancho just didn’t fancy going to Roma and I think that frustrated Manchester United greatly.”
Sancho’s last chance in Premier League
Sancho’s game-plan is an interesting one. In the end, he is set to work with Unai Emery, who has a great reputation for getting the best out of forward players.
But once again, his long-term destination is unknown. Villa are covering his salary right now but it feels unlikely that they would commit to signing him on high wages on a long-term contract.
His contract at Old Trafford will expire next summer, which Sancho’s camp will be hoping gives them better bargaining power when discussing with clubs ahead of next summer.
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United do have the option to extend that contract by 12 months, which seems pretty unlikely, but they could still activate that clause to simply try and get £5-10 million for the player next summer.
Sancho’s stint at Chelsea felt like a last chance in the Premier League and he had a decent spell, but there was nothing special. These next months at Villa Park are going to be even more important for him and his future.
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