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Manchester United might be too proud to buy classy defender

By Rucker Haringey

BURNLEY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 26: Michael Keane of Burnley (L) celebrates scoring his sides second goal with team George Boyd of Burnley (R) during the Premier League match between Burnley and Watford at Turf Moor on September 26, 2016 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
BURNLEY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 26: Michael Keane of Burnley (L) celebrates scoring his sides second goal with team George Boyd of Burnley (R) during the Premier League match between Burnley and Watford at Turf Moor on September 26, 2016 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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Manchester United made a huge mistake with Michael Keane

Ed Woodward doesn’t exactly have a sterling transfer record with Manchester United. Selling Michael Keane to Burnley for a little over €1 million didn’t seem like an error when it happened, but it could turn out to cost United a small fortune.

Reports from England claim that Jose Mourinho is urging the powers that be at Old Trafford to consider bringing Keane back into the fold. Of course, Burnley won’t make it cheap. They’ll push United to pay through the nose for the classy central defender.

It could take a transfer bid in excess of £30 million to bring Keane back. It’s important to note that he departed under Louis van Gaal, not Mourinho. However, Woodward was in charge of transfers when he was haphazardly discarded.

One has to wonder whether or not Woodward is willing to admit his mistake. Buying the Burnley defender back at that sort of price would force Woodward to own up to a very expensive error in judgment. Frankly, it’s the sort of catastrophic error that he might not be able to survive with the club.

I’ve actually considered the possibility that Mourinho’s interest in Keane might be an attempt to hack away at Woodward’s influence on the club’s transfer decisions. It’s no secret that the two have already clashed over several targets early in The Special One’s tenure. I wouldn’t put it past Mourinho to use Keane as a pawn to make a power play at Old Trafford.

One other reasonable question, is whether or not Keane has any real interest in returning to his old club. While I’m sure there were many officials at United sad to see him go, ultimately they weren’t powerful enough to keep him either.

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Even more concerning is the fact they couldn’t convince Woodward and company that Keane had enough talent to merit a reasonable transfer fee. At the very least, you’d think his supporters could have persuaded Woodward to demand a transfer fee significantly more than the £1.5 million Burnley paid for him. Clearly, not many officials believed Keane had a real Premier League future.

Fair play to the English defender for proving them wrong. He’s been excellent for Burnley and has several big suitors as a result of his fine play. If United aren’t able to sign him, clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City may swoop in and secure his services.

United will continue to be linked with Keane until he secures a move away from Burnley. It’ll be very interesting to see if Ed Woodward is ready and willing to admit, and make up for a multi-million pound mistake.

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