Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester United rejected the chance to sign an experienced midfielder during the January transfer window.
Manchester United are currently in a good place under Michael Carrick after winning their last three games against Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham.
The Reds are now firmly in the race for the top four and have the advantage of only playing once a week due to their lack of European football.
However, the main concern for United heading into the final months of the season is the squad depth, particularly in midfield.
Now that Bruno Fernandes has returned to his natural no.10 role, Carrick only has three senior midfield options for the pivot: Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo.
Should any of those players suffer an injury in the coming weeks, United would find it difficult to sustain a high level in the middle of the park.
Romano says United rejected chance to sign 220-game PL star
It is no secret that United are planning to bolster their midfield in the summer, with at least two new recruits set to join the club in that window.
But many were hoping that the club could push forward one of those signings, or bring in a short-term option, during the January window. That did not happen.
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Reds had the chance to sign Wilfred Ndidi last month. The ex-Leicester City midfielder had made 220 appearances in the Premier League before his move to Turkey.
But United decided to reject that opportunity even though it was a ‘low-cost’ option. Romano did not detail exactly the reason behind United’s decision.
“I can tell you that Wilfred Ndidi, former midfielder from Leicester, now at Besiktas, was offered as an opportunity to Man United,” Romano told the Here We Go podcast.
“A low-cost opportunity, the player was very keen on the move but Man United decided immediately not to proceed. They had the chance to do something like a low-cost opportunity but they decided against it.”
United made a gamble
You can look at it from both ways. If United were to sign a player like Ndidi in January and neither Casemiro or Mainoo suffered an injury in these final 14 games, it would have been a pointless move.
It is a unique situation United find themselves in. The Reds are rarely ever fighting in just one competition at this stage of a season.
Read more: Man Utd ‘keen to offload’ Manuel Ugarte after Casemiro and Tyrell Malacia this summer
Their gamble could pay off and then United can focus on signing midfielders in the summer. But if there are injuries, people will question the decision to avoid signing someone like Ndidi.
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