Why did Zakaria choose Juventus over Man Utd?
Martin Macdonald
- 7 Feb 2022 17:46 GMT
- 3 min read
Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria has revealed his reasoning for joining the Bianconeri instead of Manchester United in the January transfer window.
As the transfer window approached, it seemed more and more likely that Zakaria would leave Borussia Monchengladbach as his contract at the German giants was set to end in June of 2022.
Gladbach made the decision to cash in on Zakaria rather than allow him to leave for free, and when it became clear he would become available for a knockdown price, the suitors started queueing up.
Man Utd were reportedly interested, with Ralf Rangnick having a good knowledge of the player from his time spent in Germany.
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But, Juventus eventually won the race for his signature, signing him for a fee of around €4.5 million.
According to Zakaria, Juve's efforts to sign him were the most concrete, which made him feel wanted.
“Juventus are the club that showed the most desire to sign me. There is something to do with the feeling too," he told La Tribune de Geneve.
“You can feel the way people talk to you, the interest people have in you. Other clubs that approached me were more reserved.
“With Juve, there was an immediate real interest in me, with concrete things from the outset. It’s pleasant, rewarding, and that made the difference.”
Zakaria's dream debut for Juventus
On Sunday evening, Zakaria and fellow January signing Dusan Vlahovic made their debuts for Juventus, and it couldn't have gone better for the duo, with both getting on the scoresheet in a 2-0 home victory versus Verona.
The first goal came in the 13th minute as Vlahovic ran through on goal to send a lob over the oncoming goalkeeper.
Zakaria would then score his first goal in the famous white and black kit, coming on to a ball on the right-hand side of the box to coolly finish into the corner.
Juventus suffered one of the worst starts to a season in their history in 2021/22, with questions being raised as to whether the club would be able to qualify for the Champions League.
However, they are on a run of 10 Serie A matches without defeat - a run that has helped them climb up to fourth in the table ahead of Atalanta.
The club's form, and the acquisitions of Vlahovic and Zakaria, have left the club in a more buoyant mood than the first few months of the campaign.
