Manchester United have gained a reputation for being a ‘talent graveyard’ in recent years and a highly rated Belgian midfielder has therefore been warned to not move to Old Trafford.
Manchester United’s hit rate in the transfer market since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club leaves a lot to be desired.
Young players in particular have struggled to assert themselves in United shirts after having been bought to Old Trafford for significant sums of money.
The pressure that comes with playing for Manchester United is something that only certain players can deal with. That’s also always amplified in a chaotic environment when things aren’t going well, as has been the case at United for over a decade.
Despite this, almost every player in world football would have a hard time saying not to United, even though many would advise against it,
Vermeeren warned against United move
When he was at Royal Antwerp, Arthur Vermeeren was amongst the most highly-rated young midfielders in Europe. The youngster, however, has failed to live up to the hype since leaving Belgium in January 2024.
Vermeeren decided Atletico Madrid was the ideal club to continue his development, but he struggled to get minutes in the Spanish capital and left after just six months to join Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig, on an initial loan deal which was eventually made permanent.
After an underwhelming season in Germany, Vermeeren joined Marseille on loan in the summer where he has made a strong start to the season. Vermeeren has now been warned though to not move to either Manchester United or Chelsea.
“What Vermeeren absolutely mustn’t do is go to a club like Chelsea or Manchester United, where they buy thirty or forty players and then loan you out,” analyst Marc Degryse said via Voetbal 24.
“Vermeeren will ruin his career if he does that,” the analyst concluded.
Why do young players struggle at United?
Former Manchester United player Raphael Varane shared his thoughts in an interview with The Athletic back in February on why youngsters struggle to fulfill their potential at Old Trafford.
“At United, they can recruit a very expensive young player and immediately play him, with all the responsibilities in an extremely difficult league. He’s got a huge weight on his shoulders straight away,” Varane explained.
“When you recruit young, talented players, they have to learn before they can play. It gives them time to develop. When I arrived, at the age of 18, I had no responsibilities in the dressing room. I was just there to learn.”
United signed Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha this summer. Two Premier League proven forwards who are in their primes. This suggests they are trying to be mindful of Varane’s comments. The club will hope that those two players can take some of the pressure away from Benjamin Šeško as he adapts to life in England.
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