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Manchester United CEO Ed Woodward is known for his tough approach when it comes to dealing with transfers.
And while the Old Trafford bigwig has secured some big signings for the club, he has also missed out on a ton of top-notch players.
That has been seen most recently with negotiations for Real Madrid defender Sergio Reguilón, who is now expected to join Tottenham despite being in talks with United.
It was also the case for Erling Haaland in the January transfer window: the Norwegian striker moved to Borussia Dortmund.
But what other world-class talents has United missed signing due to Woodward’s refusal to be bullied in the boardroom?
(Image: PA)
Sergio Reguilon
Spanish left-back Reguilon is expected to join Tottenham this summer, despite being in talks with United about a £ 20 million trade.
The club’s refusal to insert a buyback clause into the deal is believed to have given Real Madrid no choice but to go to Spurs.
Reguilon may not have been an immediate starter for United, but losing him to a Premier League rival will be a bitter pill to swallow.
Erling haaland
Many thought United were going to deliver a coup against Haaland in January, and it was a huge surprise when Borussia Dortmund landed the Norwegian forward.
The talks are believed to have collapsed when the teenager’s representatives asked for a termination clause to be inserted into their agreement.
Manchester United are looking to chart their way back to the top. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already signed Donny van de Beek, but Jadon Sancho remains Manchester United’s number one target.
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Haaland was already having a great season at RB Salzburg, and he has gone from strength to strength in the Bundesliga, showing just how capable a player he is.
Antoine Griezmann
Reports claimed that Barcelona forward Griezmann agreed on personal terms and a shirt number with United in 2017 while at Atlético Madrid in what would have been a world record of £ 87 million.
However, with Atlético banned from signing players, this never came to fruition, and the Frenchman signed a new contract and said he did not think it was right to leave under the circumstances.
Of course, Griezmann left two years later in much more controversial circumstances when Barcelona activated a lower release clause.
Eden Hazard
Things could have been very different for the Belgian forward in 2012, when he chose to join Chelsea rather than other Premier League teams.
He told The Guardian in 2019: “I had the opportunity to sign for Manchester United, Man City, Tottenham, but I made the right decision.
Hazard would have been a robbery of £ 32 million, but United refused to pay Hazard’s agent £ 6 million to close the deal.
Virgil van Dijk
In 2017, then-manager José Mourinho drew up a short list of three center-backs he wanted to sign: Michael Keane, Victor Lindelof and Virgil van Dijk.
Of course, United chose Lindelof for £ 31m from Benfica, while Liverpool paid Southampton £ 75m for Van Dijk six months later.
Lindelof looked like a notable improvement at the time, but is now seen just below the cut, while Van Dijk is seen as the best defender in the world, as well as a Premier League and Champions League winner.
Where will United finish this season? Give your opinion in the comments below.
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