Pranav Nair
Willian Jose admits he had an offer to join Manchester United in 2020
According to Spanish publication Noticias de Gipuzkoa (h/t Goal), Brazilian striker Jose Willian has revealed that he could have joined Manchester United last year.
The Red Devils were in need of a striker last January and looked at a number of potential incomings. We eventually settled for former Watford striker Odion Ighalo, securing him on loan from Shanghai Shenhua.
The Nigerian was at best a stop-gap and made just 23 appearances, scoring five goals and making one assist. While he did play a role towards the end of the 2019/20 season, he only played a token number of minutes last season. (h/t Transfermarkt)
A loan does not appear to have been the only choice on the table. Willian has now revealed that Real Sociedad blocked his potential switch to Old Trafford. He has bemoaned the fact that a lack of support from the Spanish side saw him miss out on a chance of a lifetime.
“Then came Barcelona and an offer from Manchester United. I saw that it was an opportunity that I could not miss out on because life is like that. You have to take advantage of opportunities, and I saw that it was the opportunity.”
The 29-year-old goes on to add that he had an agreement in principle that he would be allowed to leave if a top side came in for him. However, he was ‘betrayed’ by the Sociedad board. According to the interview, the Red Devils had made a bid of €23m for the player. (h/t Goal)
“I don’t understand why a few months ago they didn’t want to let me go for €23 million and now they have let me go. Football is sometimes difficult to understand.”
Willian would eventually move to the Premier League with a loan move to Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this year. He struggled at the Molineux, scoring just one goal and making one assist in 18 games. (h/t Transfermarkt)
It is curious that Sociedad decided to pass on United’s offer, especially given the amount involved. But given Willian’s performances for Wolves, we might as well have dodged a bullet.
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The former Brazil U20 international still has three years remaining on his contract with Sociedad and is once again being linked with a move away this summer. The path to United is, however, closed.
