Manchester United chose not to push ahead with a move for Denis Zakaria during the January transfer window.
German outlet Sport1 reported United held talks with Zakaria’s representatives, with Borussia Moenchengladbach ready to sell.
United backed out of a move despite his expiring contract. Juventus did not feel the same way, and pushed ahead to strike a deal for just £6 million.
Happy to move on
Zakaria was unveiled by Juventus at a press conference on Tuesday and spoke about his qualities, describing the type of midfielder Manchester United seem to need.
The Switzerland international told TMW: “Juventus are a strong team, with a lot of quality, I think arriving here compared to Germany is a great step forward for me, I hope to be able to progress too.
“Describe my characteristics? I am aggressive, I love to recover the ball, but also to defend and help, I can describe myself as a fairly complete player.”
Zakaria was also asked about a player Juventus fans still hold dear to their hearts, Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba.
He said: “We all know Pogba, we know what he did and left to Juve. I hope to have the same success he did, but I have my identity and I hope to find my path and leave my mark.”
Zakaria could make his Juventus debut this weekend against Verona after taking part in two training sessions already.
United still searching
Manchester United are still hunting for a new defensive midfielder. It’s important to upgrade on an ageing, past-his-peak Nemanja Matic.
It was a gamble not to sign one last summer, and this January. In addition to passing on Zakaria, United also turned down the chance to sign Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara for a similar cut-price fee, Fabrizio Romano told the latest Here We Go podcast.
United will revisit the position in the next transfer window, and while Kamara will still be available in the summer as a free agent, Zakaria is no longer an option, and the Red Devils may well go onto regret passing up such a bargain.
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