Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag reportedly elected to sanction the signing of Rasmus Hojlund at the expense of landing Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins, who was available for transfer.
United brought in Hojlund from Serie A outfit Atalanta in the summer of 2023, in a deal worth around £72m.
The Red Devils needed a reliable goalscorer during that summer window and were strongly linked to the likes of Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen, who were at Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli respectively at the time.
Kane ended up joining Bayern Munich while Osimhen stayed at Napoli.
In his maiden season in England, Hojlund managed 16 goals, largely thanks to a purple patch just after Christmas.
According to ESPN’s Mark Ogden, United had the chance to secure the services of Watkins but they opted against doing so in favour of signing Hojlund.
Over the last year, Watkins has undoubtedly been one of the best strikers in Europe, managing an impressive tally of 47 goals and assists since the start of 2023/24.
Last term, Watkins registered 19 goals in 37 Premier League games.
The England international also bagged the winner during the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 semi-final triumph over the Netherlands.
Ogden reveals, ” Ten Hag’s decision to sign the then-20-year-old Rasmus Højlund in the summer of 2023 as the solution to the team’s scoring problems has proved critical. It was a mistake because of the players United rejected in favour of the Denmark forward.”
“Harry Kane was a target but was dismissed as lacking the pressing game required by Ten Hag. In reality, however, persuading Kane to sign for United over Bayern Munich was always unlikely to succeed.”
“Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney were also ruled out, but sources have told ESPN that Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins was seriously under consideration.”
“It was decided that Højlund, who was seven years younger at the time, represented better value for money and was a long-term prospect.”
While Watkins currently appears to be the better player, it’s important to note that the Villa man is seven years older than Hojlund.
The Danish forward still has plenty of time to improve and he could of course turn out to be a shrewd investment for United.
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