Two players Man Utd looked at ahead of the summer transfer window are set to sign for their rivals for eye-watering fees instead.
Manchester United were interested in Yan Diomande earlier this season
At least the data did the job. Manchester United made Elliot Anderson their top target for a midfield rebuild this summer and after missing out on Antoine Semenyo in January, they liked the look of RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande instead.
In the end, neither deal will happen. Both Anderson and Diomande have had brilliant second halves of the season, while the desire of other clubs to sign them has raised their value even further.
In a summer when United need two midfielders, maybe even three, as well as additions elsewhere, committing anything around £100million to one player was going to be off the cards. Manchester City have already surpassed that figure comfortably in the bidding for Nottingham Forest’s Anderson, while Liverpool will have to get close to it to sign 19-year-old Diomande.
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United came into the window still pining for 23-year-old Anderson, only to step away after City’s bid worth a total of £121million. The England international’s desire to go to the Etihad is also an obvious stumbling block.
In another window, perhaps United would have pushed harder for Diomande. Had his emergence come last year when they were overhauling their attack, that might have been the case, although he is clearly a better fit for Michael Carrick’s 4-2-3-1 than Ruben Amorim’s wingless team.
Instead, the focus on the left wing has shifted a little since January. Patrick Dorgu’s emergence as a serious option there and Matheus Cunha’s spell on the flank has given Carrick options, while there is also a desire to sign a left-back.
United have Iliman Ndiaye and Crysenscio Summerville on the list of options out wide, and both players would be half the price of Diomande, who now looks Liverpool-bound as the replacement for Mohamed Salah.
The frustration, for United supporters at least, will be that Anderson and Diomande are both having a good World Cup when they look set to sign for their two biggest rivals instead.
Anderson was superb for England in their 4-2 win against Croatia and Diomande has been a lively winger for the Ivory Coast, setting up their goal against Germany on Saturday after running Ecuador ragged in the first game.
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It is easy to envisage both being successful at the Etihad and Anfield, but that doesn’t make the decisions United made wrong. The only way to get Anderson would have been to blow City out of the water in a way they were never going to do under Ineos rule. It would have restricted what else they can do this summer and probably left them short in midfield.
Likewise, spending close to £100million for a player in a position that isn’t a priority doesn’t make sense. Again, it would have forced compromises in midfield.
If there is a consolation to be had, at least United are identifying players who look like a good fit now. They were keen on Diomande in January and Anderson has been top of the list of midfield targets for most of the season.
If that is a pattern that can continue, after getting recruitment right last summer, then the list of options aside from those two should also provide some comfort, and make sure United are bringing in players who will thrive at Old Trafford.
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