Manchester United were desperate to strengthen their midfield in the last transfer window and when their miserable pursuit of principal target Frenkie de Jong collapsed, a host of players started to be linked with a move to Old Trafford.
Adrien Rabiot, the Juventus midfielder, was one of the players to be paired with a move to United and the deal was said to be quite advanced, with an agreement with the Italian club believed to have been reached in August.
The deal collapsed just days later, however, with Rabiot’s contractual demands said to be excessive for United, who pulled the plug and decided to pursue other targets.
Speaking roughly five weeks after the window closed, Rabiot has now commented on the speculation over his future this year.
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“There was a lot of talk, but I’ve always been focused both in training and in the game,” he said, according to the Manchester Evening News.
“The renewal? I don’t know. At the moment, there are other things to think about. I’m focused on the pitch and doing well for the team, to get them out of the difficult and then we’ll see what happens.
“Honestly, I’m not even thinking about the World Cup. I think it’s the same thing for the others. We need to stay focused on the club.”
After seeing their move to sign Rabiot scuppered, United assessed other targets and decided to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid.
SN’s verdict…
Links to Rabiot were not very welcomed by supporters at the time and the news that it had collapsed was met by a feeling of relief and considering the alternative United signed, you can understand why.
Although he is liked by manager Massimiliano Allegri, Rabiot is deemed as surplus to requirements by the Juventus board and his entourage has been known to be difficult to deal with. In many ways, it feels like a dodged bullet for United.
