Manchester United passed up the opportunity to sign Julián Álvarez when he was offered to top clubs last January, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Italian reporter says that Ralf Rangnick was furious with Man Utd and their strategy last winter, with the club’s board apparently determined not to make any signings.
Álvarez, however, was available and ended up going to Manchester City, with the highly-rated young Argentine now looking to develop into an excellent player under the expert guidance of Pep Guardiola.
The Red Devils would surely have done well to improve their offense with a striker like that, so it’s no surprise Romano says Rangnick wasn’t happy about the situation.
“The January 2023 transfer window will be important for the club’s project, but for it to be a success they need to learn from the mistakes of last year,” Romano said.
“The mistake was clear: Ralf Rangnick, who was caretaker manager at the time and preparing to become a consultant to work with the board and Erik ten Hag, was furious with Man United because they didn’t want to sign any players last January. . . He had some opportunities, but he did not want to sign a striker, specifically.
“Julian Alvarez was one of those players: he was offered to United and other clubs, he had a release clause and he was a player Rangnick had on his roster at Lokomotiv Moscow. In the end, Man United decided not to continue, and now Man City have this really good striker, for the present and for the future.”
United will undoubtedly need to avoid this strategy this year, as the upcoming winter window is likely to be another useful opportunity for them to get stronger, even if doing so in the summer is often preferable.
Romano uses the example of Liverpool, who were more vigilant than United last January and made sure they moved fast so as not to miss out on the signing of Luis Diaz, who has proven to be a huge success at Anfield.
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“We also heard a lot about Luis Diaz being wanted by Tottenham and West Ham, before Liverpool seized on the deal and changed history in 48 hours, signing one of the best players in the Premier League right now. United did not react and missed important opportunities, so Rangnick was furious at the lack of activity,” added Romano.
“Liverpool’s plan initially was to sign Luis Diaz in the summer, but due to Tottenham’s interest they decided to push straight away. Liverpool were very quick and it’s important to have that kind of structure. United need to make that one of their missions if they want this new era to be a success.”
