Manchester United were offered Jamal Musiala on trial in 2018 but refused deal for bizarre reason

Manchester United were offered the chance to take Jamal Musiala on trial in 2018 but decided against a deal for a bizarre reason.

United are beginning to change their structure under the new INEOS leadership at Old Trafford, with Dan Ashworth being the latest addition as sporting director.

There are many improvements to be made about how United works behind the scenes, no more than their recruitment process.

After years of overspending on players who don’t work out, the club is now walking a financial tightrope in this summer window and needs to make better signings to avoid the same situation going forward.

One of the biggest criticisms in recent years has been United’s failure to act in situations where they could get a great deal for a young player.

Instead, they often have waited too late until the player is worth monumental amounts, with Declan Rice, Moisés Caicedo and Erling Haaland among the examples.

According to The Athletic, another worrying example is that United decided against signing Jamal Musiala after his departure from Chelsea in 2018.

A detailed report explained that the Reds were offered the chance to take the extremely talented youngster on trial in March 2018.

Despite being just 15 years of age, United’s youth scout Andreas Herrmann had watched him at a Germany training camp and regarded him as the best player. Meanwhile, Lyndon Tomlinson, the club’s former assistant head of academy recruitment, was also impressed by the teenager after watching him play for England’s under-16s side.

It was added that the deal for Musiala – who was weighing up which nation to represent – had complications, and United, who were conscious of regulations, decided that entering the running for the midfielder would be too risky.

The report also included claims from former United employees which stated that the club were first to several promising youth talents in recent years, only for the hierarchy to fail to move quickly enough when it mattered.

That seems relevant in this case.

With Musiala now lighting up the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and Euro 2024 with Germany, it seems like this is yet another ‘what if’ moment for United in recent memory.

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