Man Utd face Jude Bellingham repeat they may live to regret with Assan Ouedraogo
Casemiro returns to Man Utd training ahead of Copenhagen clash
Manchester United are reportedly running the risk of missing out on signing Schalke star Assan Ouedraogo in January by not acting upon their interest immediately. Numerous top clubs are monitoring the impressive progress of the midfielder, though German sides are starting to push with more vigour to gain the upper hand in negotiations.
Erik ten Hag splashed the cash over the summer to inject quality and depth into his ranks. Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund arrived as a trio of marquee purchases, with other loanees signed to plug holes in the injury-ridden squad late in the window.
Despite such investment, very little funds were used to bring in players for the future at Old Trafford due to the need for short-term success. However, United do now appear to have one eye on the future and reports have claimed that teenage playmaker Ouedraogo is among their considerations.
However, according to TeamTalk, the Red Devils could miss out on signing the 17-year-old as RB Leipzig are already pushing to strike a deal with Schalke for the midfielder. The Bundesliga outfit are said to have held talks with his entourage and have discussed the conditions of a deal.
Don’t miss… Bobby Charlton’s daughter worked for BBC and RAF before marrying Wimbledon hero[LATEST]
Liverpool, Chelsea and Bayern Munich also feature on the growing list of Ouedraogo’s admirers, though there is a significant demand for United to have an exciting youngster in the centre of the park given the average age of their current crop of midfielders.
With no agreement in place between the German star and Leipzig, the Red Devils have the chance to act quickly and learn from the disappointment of missing out on signing Jude Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund in 2020. United identified the now-Real Madrid star as a target soon after he broke through at Birmingham City but failed to present him with a clear pathway that showed how he would continue his development at the Theatre of Dreams.
- Advert-free experience without interruptions.
- Rocket-fast speedy loading pages.
- Exclusive & Unlimited access to all our content.
Aged 17, Bellingham travelled to Manchester with his camp to discuss making the move to Old Trafford and spoke with numerous officials about the club, including Sir Alex Ferguson, but ultimately snubbed the move in favour of heading to the Bundesliga.
Although there was groundwork conducted for the deal, the Red Devils paid the price for not pushing to sign Bellingham early enough and thus provided Dortmund with the chance to pounce. Ten Hag’s side can learn from the catastrophic error by pulling out all the stops to sign Ouedraogo in the January transfer window and convincing him to join them as soon as possible rather than giving him a half-hearted blueprint to success that could easily be trumped by rivals.
Source: Read Full Article