Manchester United are still trying to find their way out of a sporting maze, and that’s exactly why the name Karim Adeyemi needs to be handled with extreme caution at Old Trafford. The Borussia Dortmund forward returned to the center of European headlines after a poor reaction to being substituted in a 2–0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach, and the episode reignites an uncomfortable debate. Does it make sense for a club in chronic crisis to invest around £70 million in a player who would arrive already surrounded by internal noise?
Adeyemi left the field around the 60 minute mark, a technical decision by Niko Kovac, and didn’t hide his frustration. He walked straight past the bench, tried to head to the locker room before the final whistle and had to be stopped by Sebastian Kehl, who pulled him back for a tense exchange on the sideline. The incident went beyond what was seen on camera. Internally, Dortmund viewed the behavior as inappropriate and confirmed the player will be fined, as reported by Bild.
An expensive talent in a sensitive context
Adeyemi is fast, explosive and still young, no one disputes that. That’s not the issue. At 23, he deals with technical inconsistency and is once again being linked to behavioral concerns in moments of frustration. For a well structured club, that already requires careful management. For a club like United, trying to rebuild culture, identity and hierarchy all at once, the risk multiplies.
Speculation about a possible exit from Dortmund isn’t driven solely by what happened on the field. His contract runs until 2027, but his representatives are working behind the scenes to include a high release clause, reportedly around £70 million. That’s a fee that demands absolute conviction, not a gamble.
United risk repeating the mistake they’re trying to avoid
The English club lives with a paradox. It wants to return to competing at the highest level, yet it’s still paying the price for impulsive decisions, expensive signings with no clear fit and players who arrived with status greater than their ability to absorb pressure. Committing heavily to a player who has just been fined for indiscipline and is going through a tense period with his current club hardly feels like the first step of a solid project.
Adeyemi may mature, settle his issues and justify a big fee in the future. Right now, though, the package includes talent, instability and external noise. For a Manchester United side that needs clarity more than immediate impact, spending £70 million on this profile sounds less like a rebuild and more like repeating a script the fanbase knows all too well.