Manchester United: Juventus star rejects move to Old Trafford

Manchester United have been dealt with another blow during this transfer window as Juventus midfielder Emre Can has a rejected a move to Old Trafford.

Manchester United are in dire need of some quality midfielders to walk through the doors of Old Trafford, but things are not going as planned for the Red Devils. According to a new report from talkSport, Juventus midfielder Emre Can has rejected a move to Manchester United despite his desire to take his talents elsewhere.

The German international has fallen down the pecking order in Juventus’ competitive midfield since the arrival of Maurizio Sarri. Can made 29 Serie A appearances for the Italian giants last season, but this term he has only been on the pitch eight times, primarily as a substitute. In total, the midfielder has only played 281 minutes of league action this campaign, so his search for a new club should not come as a surprise.

What is surprising, though, is Can’s main reason for rejecting Manchester United. In the report from talkSport, Can supposedly said no to Manchester United as a sign of respect for his former club, Liverpool, and their fans, who were nothing but supportive of the midfielder in his four years at Anfield.

Major Blow for Manchester United

One can make the argument that Can’s rejection is not a big deal for Manchester United since there are several players to choose from, but in my eyes this rejection is significant. With Paul Pogba out for an indefinite time period as a result of his ankle surgery, and with Scott McTominay now on the injury list as well, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not have sufficient, quality depth in his squad to serve as true replacements for his key midfielders.

Can, who is only 25, already has six full seasons worth of experience from Europe’s top leagues – Bundesliga, Premier League and Serie A – and that is exactly what the Red Devils need at the moment. The fact that Can spent the majority of his career at Liverpool would have been a major plus for Solskjaer. Most new transfers from foreign leagues need time to adapt to English football, but this would not have been the case with Can seeing that he already has 115 Premier League appearances under his belt.

Can is not known as a goal scorer, but is he one of those midfielders who built a reputation for being a true box-to-box player. In his four seasons at Anfield, Can might have had the least amount of flare, aside from James Milner, but his work ethic in recovering the ball deep in midfield and orchestrating attacks with players ahead of him was unmatched in the squad.

Three weeks remain in the January transfer window, but Solskjaer is back at the drawing board. Can would have been a solid signing for Manchester United, but his admiration and respect for Liverpool ruined those plans.