Brighton & Hove Albion ‘laughed off’ a £50 million bid from Manchester United to sign Evan Ferguson this summer, according to ESPN.
The Red Devils wanted to bolster their squad with the addition of a quality number nine in the previous transfer window, with Harry Kane one of the names on the club’s wishlist.
However, the England international ended up signing for Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur and got on the scoresheet in United’s 4-3 loss to the Bundesliga giants in the Champions League group stage on 20 September.
Eventually, the Red Devils completed a move for Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta and paid £72 million to do so, more than they had initially planned. The 20-year-old missed the first few matches of the season due to an injury.
Man United also tried to sign Ferguson from Brighton & Hove Albion after his breakout year, but ESPN claims the Red Devils’ £50m offer for the 18-year-old was too low for the Seagulls to consider seriously.
The Ireland international made waves under Roberto De Zerbi in the previous campaign and ended the 2022/23 term with 10 goals in 25 appearances in all competitions.
Did United make the right choice?
At United, the striking department evidently needed quality reinforcements after Anthony Martial’s struggles last season and the reliance on Marcus Rashford by Erik ten Hag to find the back of the net.
While Hojlund got off the mark against Bayern and has put in a couple of decent performances in the Premier League, the Dane is yet to prove himself at the biggest of stages when it comes to being a goalscorer. While the potential seems to be there, in the previous campaign, the striker had 10 goals in all 34 appearances for Atalanta.
Ferguson is still a raw product with much to prove but has the advantage of having played in the English top flight for some time now. Therefore, whether Man United made the right choice by spending their money on Hojlund rather than Ferguson remains to be seen.
