Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag rejected the opportunity to sign midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum before he made the temporary switch to Roma this summer, Sky Sports claim.
The Netherlands international was previously with Premier League rivals Liverpool for six seasons before he made the move to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer last year.
After a mixed debut campaign, he was recently permitted to join the Giallorossi on loan, but it appears United and Ten Hag were offered the opportunity to land his signature.
According to Sky Sports, the 31-year-old was eager to return to the Premier League this summer, but Ten Hag snubbed the chance to secure the services of his Dutch compatriot.
Our view:
United had a poor Premier League opener against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday. Fred and Scott McTominay looked out of sorts and the club definitely need an upgrade.
Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot could join United in the coming days, but there are suggestions that the Red Devils could pursue another midfielder before the transfer window closes.
Wijnaldum would have been a decent signing despite his age (31), but we can find several reasons why Ten Hag could have decided against signing the 2019/2020 Premier League winner.
First of all, the midfielder was with United’s fierce rivals Liverpool. It a rare occurrence that a former Liverpool star has played for them. Michael Owen was the last over a decade ago.
Over the course of his career, Wijnaldum has impressed with his distribution. He has averaged over 90 per cent of passes in recent years while showing terrific ball control in key phases.
Despite the positives, there is an underlying concern over his defensive ability. He barely wins tackles or interceptions. In the recent campaign, he won just over two duels per game.
On top of this, the former PSV star is not the best when it comes to long balls. While he has a gifted ability when it comes to ground distribution, he has barely succeeded with long passes.
Hence, Ten Hag was right to reject the chance to land Wijnaldum. At 31, we don’t see him getting over weaknesses. It would not have been worthwhile to sign him with big wages involved.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp previously praised Wijnaldum as ‘sensational‘ before his exit last summer, but Ten Hag has made the right choice to pursue younger midfielders with a long-term plan in mind.
