After seeing the manner in which Renato Sanches prove his quality at the European Championships for Portugal, Rio Ferdinand has complained bitterly about the inability of Ed Woodward,the Manchester United chief executive, to go all out for the 19-year-old all-action midfielder.
The Golden Boy winner was snatched up by Bayern Munich before the tournament, after a breakthrough debut season with Benfica in the Primera Liga. Sanches would go on to marvel at the Euros, and is currently being integrated slowly into the first team setup at the Allianz Arena.
Speaking to Portuguese media outlet, A Bola, the Manchester United said: “If I was a Man United scout, Renato Sanches would already be at the club,” “I’d have dragged him by his hair and said ‘let’s go’!.”
“Renato is a modern player: Aggressive, strong, powerful, got technique, can shoot and pass, I like him. He’s young, but takes responsibility”.
He also added that he thinks Sanches is aggressive; an attribute that would have made him a success at Old Trafford. United were among a host of top European clubs linked to the teenage sensation. The likes of Real Madrid, PSG, Chelsea and Bayern Munich all sent scouts to watch his progress over the course of last season at the Estadio da Luz, but it was the German giants who stole a March on all their rivals by signing the player for €35m, plus add-ons. He has a contract at the Allianz till 2021, with a whooping release clause in the region of £60m, as per Independent.
Sanches is a tenacious box-to-box midfielder who has been likened to Edgar Davids. Since joining the Bavarian giants over the summer, he has started only four Bundeliga games, as Carlo Ancelotti tries to blend him into the team following a spate of niggling injuries. He became the youngest player to play and score for Portugal in a European Championships at this summer’s Euro 2016 at the age of 18 in France. However, he has seen his position as the best youngster in the Bayern team usurped by the outstanding Joshua Kimmich, who has netted 7 goals from a variety of positions this season.
It would be wrong to think he may never leave Bayern, though. He is just 19, and still has the future in front of him. Manchester United would be waiting to receive him with open arms, though he seems happy in Munich at the moment.
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