There was a time, circa 2017, when Como striker Alvaro Morata had attracted interest from Manchester United.
Manchester United have signed many strikers in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era who were not of the required standard or past their best.
That list includes Romelu Lukaku, Rasmus Hojlund, as well as some questionable short-term fixes such as Radamel Falcao, Odion Ighalo and Wout Weghorst.
In that time, United missed out on several targets, but there were also players they opted not to sign due to other preferences.
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Alvaro Morata opens up on Manchester United interest in 2017
Cast your mind back to 2017 when United were on the lookout for a new striker under Jose Mourinho.
United signed Lukaku from Everton in a £75 million deal, but Mourinho was also keen on Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata before the Spaniard signed for Chelsea that summer.
Morata cost Chelsea £70m before scoring 24 goals in 72 matches, while Lukaku managed 42 goals across 96 appearances.
In an interview with Mario Suarez, Morata opens up on when Mourinho tried to sign him twice – once for United and on another occasion for Serie A outfit Roma.
“Yes, for Roma, I was very close to signing for Roma,” Morata told Mario Suarez via YouTube.
“I think in the end it didn’t happen because of the Roma board. They wanted younger players.”
Morata added: “Well, Mourinho tried to sign me for United first. Yes, for United first.
“Then I ended up going to Chelsea and then he tried to sign me to Roma.”
- ⚡️ NEWS IN BRIEF
- Alvaro Morata was targeted by Manchester United in 2017
- It was the first time Jose Mourinho tried to sign the Spanish striker
- Mourinho tried again to sign Morata for Roma
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Alvaro Morata’s record against Man Utd
Morata has played against United four times in his career.
Three of those games came in the Premier League, while his only win over the Red Devils came in the 2018 FA Cup final.
Morata only managed to score one goal against United in a league meeting.
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