Manchester United’s latest scouting mission to watch Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu did not go to plan.
It was confirmed this week that Manchester United are scouting Pierre Kalulu, and scouts were sent to watch the Juventus defender in action against Inter Milan.
The 25-year-old defender is being considered as a potential target ahead of the 2026 summer transfer window.
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With United chasing Champions League qualification, the Red Devils can expect to play many more matches than the 40 they will compete in this season. Depth will be needed across the whole squad, and Kalulu could be an option at the back.
However, United scouts won’t be overly pleased with what they saw from the French defender as Juventus lost 3-2 to Inter Milan.
Man Utd Pierre Kalulu struggles before being sent off
The Juventus vs Inter game was poised at 1-1 when Kalulu was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 42nd minute at the San Siro.
Kalulu lined up at right-back for Juventus and he endured a nightmare performance which was capped off with a red card.
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As per SofaScore, Kalulu only made one defensive contribution in the 42 minutes he was on the pitch, and he lost all three of his ground duels before seeing red.
Before the red card, Kalulu had been ever-present for Juventus in their Serie A campaign, playing every single minute of their first 24 matches.
Controversy surrounding Pierre Kalulu’s red card
Kalulu had an afternoon to forget as Juventus lost to Inter, but his sending off has sparked controversy in Italy.
His second yellow card involved an incident with Alessandro Bastoni, where the Inter defender appeared to dive in an attempt to get the French defender sent off.
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Referee Federico La Penna showed Kalulu a second yellow card, and because it was not a straight red card, VAR could not intervene to overturn the decision.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, IFAB are now assessing whether the laws of the game should be updated to allow for VAR to intervene on second yellow card offences.
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