Jean-Clair Todibo: The bad boy gone good who Man Utd fans will love

Robin Bairner

Updated: 25 Aug 2023 11:13 BST
5 min read

Jean-Clair Todibo, Nice, 2032/24 — © ProShots

That Jean-Clair Todibo finds himself in a position to move to Manchester United before the end of the summer transfer window is both because and in spite of his attitude.

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Todibo may only be 23 but his career has seen both highs and lows, driven forward by an ambition that has, at times, gotten ahead of his capabilities.

Self-belief is something that the 23-year-old has never lacked – and little wonder. When he was still a teenager, he broke into the Toulouse first team and immediately set about living up to his prodigious billing.

EXCLUSIVE: Man Utd target Todibo remains top priority but Ten Hag faces new Amrabat issue

After just 10 first-team appearances and still without a professional contract, his performances were so strong that he was attracting the attention of major clubs, including Inter Milan and Juventus.

Toulouse offered him what they described as an “unprecedented salary” but it wasn’t enough. He fell out with the club and by the beginning of November was frozen out of the first team.

This stubborn attitude did not put off Barcelona. He was due to sign for the Catalans in the summer of 2019 but Barca paid €1 million to push this forward to Deadline Day of the January window.

MORE: Man Utd close in on fourth signing of the transfer window

But life in Catalunya was not what Todibo expected. He wanted first-team football immediately, despite his startling lack of experience. He was given only 158 minutes over two appearances in his first six months, and after just three outings in the first half of the following season, he was loaned to Schalke.

After returning from the Bundesliga club, where he made eight league appearances, he was told that he would be part of the squad behind Clement Lenglet and Gerrard Pique. This did not suit Todibo, though, and after his demands for a bigger role were rejected, he demanded to leave.

A turning point at Benfica

Premier League interest became apparent at this stage of his career, with Everton, Wolves and Leicester all taking a look at the player, but he moved to Benfica, which proved an unmitigated disaster.

“It was the most complicated stage of my career,” he later admitted. “I went there and didn’t play at all. But I think it served me enormously well as a man and in my life as a footballer. I had to question myself a lot. I thought about what I wanted to become.”

Todibo’s period of reflection clearly worked. He went back to France with Nice, initially on loan, but in a deal that became permanent for just €8.5m. This was well short of the €25m that Barcelona previously demanded for the gem but was an illustration of how far his star had fallen.

Given the opportunity of regular first team football, the Todibo finally expressed his potential next to the wizened old held of Champions League winner Dante beside him.

Since, he has gone from strength to strength, earning his first France call up in March, when he was a hasty late replacement for the injured Wesley Fofana.

© ProShots - Todibo has been with the France squad

Todibo’s attitude perfect for Man Utd

Todibo’s attitude, to some extent, is similar to that of Adrien Rabiot, another player who was previously close to joining Man Utd.

Unlike the Juventus midfielder, though, the Guyana-born star has harnessed his attitude to become a stronger player. He might not have touched rock bottom, but he’s certainly had it in view, and he’s come back a stronger, more mature, player and man.

“My journey has given me a huge character and great mentality, and I’m very proud of it,” he said while on France duty.

“Nobody pushed me to leave Toulouse to go to Barcelona, nobody pushed me to make mistakes, I made them like a big boy. Today, that's what makes the man I am and the player I am. I'm very proud of them and very happy even if I would have preferred not to have made them.”

Todibo is a winner, but he’s a winner who now knows and understands the value of both hard work and patience.

That will to succeed continues to drive him on, but it’s been harnessed in a way that promises to be an asset to Manchester United should he complete his move to Old Trafford.