Considered a very good pick since his arrival at Liverpool during the winter transfer window, striker Luis Diaz was also targeted by Manchester United coach Ralf Rangnick.
In an interview with Sky Sports, the technician has indeed assured that he had drawn up a list last January including the defector from FC Porto, but complains of not having found an attentive ear on the side of his leaders. “The answer at that time was no, there is no player in the market who can help us. There were a few. Luis Diaz, who is now at Liverpool, Julian Alvarez, who will be at Manchester City this summer, and Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus Turin), who at the time was still at Fiorentina. These are the three that come to mind now“said the German. “I spoke to the board and said to them: ‘Shouldn’t we at least talk, analyze and see if we can get a player on loan or on a permanent contract?’ But the answer was negative and that’s it. Maybe they didn’t want to do business this winter. Regardless, the answer was no.»
While his team, victim of a new humiliation on Saturday in Brighton (4-0), is going through a nightmare season and without qualifying for the Champions League, the Mancunian coach believes that the second part of the exercise could have been different if he had been listened to. “I still think we should have tried to sign a player in the last 48 hours. The board, meanwhile, also spoke to the scouting department at the same time as me. The delay would have been short but still, 48 hours is 48 hours. It might have been worth trying to discuss this internally. We did not do it. It didn’t happen“, he concluded, fatalistic. The one who will give way to Erik ten Hag at the end of the season is he looking for excuses? Everyone will have their own opinion. One thing is certain: Diaz, recruited for 45 million euros (excluding bonuses), has been unanimous since his arrival at the Reds, with 5 goals scored in 21 games.
Rangnick: “The answer [quand il a demandé un attaquant] was that there was no player on the market who could really help us. There were a few: Diaz who is now at Liverpool, Alvarez who will be at City, Vlahovic who was still at Fiorentina.” #MUFC pic.twitter.com/bpR6oNw5C3
— Manchester United (@MUnitedFR) May 6, 2022