Manchester United have a lot of regrets in the transfer market, but a player they dismissed being targeted by PSG and Juventus now is surely up there.
The number of times Man Utd were handed a potentially world-class player on a silver platter, only for them to look elsewhere for a worse option, is mind-boggling.
The examples are especially painful under Erik ten Hag, who made one wrong decision after another in the market due to his talent ID (lack of it!).
A player who flew by United’s radar during that time is now emerging as the club’s big regret as European giants battle for him.
If you could only choose one, should Man Utd buy Lewis Hall or promote Harry Amass?
Former Man Utd target Zion Suzuki set for greatness
Among the forever-moving goalkeeping carousel at Old Trafford, a name that would sound familiar to Man Utd fans is that of Zion Suzuki.
Suzuki is a player who was of interest to United as far back as 2023, when he was a youngster plying his trade in Japan for Urawa Red Diamonds.
Even then, it seemed like a deal was close, but Suzuki joined a Belgian club as his first step in Europe.
United’s interest never waned, and they were linked to him again when he moved to Parma in Italy, which coincided with Andre Onana struggling to settle at the club.
Now at Parma, Suzuki has emerged as one of the most exciting goalkeeping talents in world football, most recently impressing in Japan’s World Cup run.
That has alerted the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, amplifying the fact that Suzuki is a special talent who is set for greatness.
Even this summer, United were linked to Suzuki to provide backup for Senne Lammens, but his World Cup performances mean he is overqualified for that role now.
And so ends another story of a wonderkid identified by United’s remarkable scouting network, let down by the club’s recruitment model.
Ineos are trying to make sure another Suzuki isn’t missed
Man Utd fans are all too familiar with the tale by now that a young wonderkid is identified by the club’s scouting network, but the recruitment team dithers.
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They eventually join another club, attain world-class status, and United are left licking their wounds.
Suzuki is the latest example, but Ineos are trying to make sure that it doesn’t happen again, or at least doesn’t happen as often.
The aggressive youth recruitment drive is evidence of the same, with the club more willing than ever to take bets on young talent like Cristian Orozco or Diego Leon, to name two.
Not all of them will pan out, but even if one does, then a player like Suzuki has shown that all of those bets will be recovered many times over.
For now, United will have to sit back and watch a player they identified for just £5m in the Japanese league rock up at a Champions League rival this summer.
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