Man Utd rue FREE TRANSFER mistake as ex-target fires Inter to Serie A title

Tom Weber

• Updated: 23 Apr 2024 10:33 BST
• 5 min read

Manchester United's decision to pass up on signing Marcus Thuram looks worse by the day.

In early 2023, the Borussia Monchengladbach striker was approaching the end of his contract and it was an open secret that he had no intention of signing a new deal after going to the World Cup with France.

Already in January, Man Utd were said to be interested in Lilian Thuram's elder son. The Red Devils, it was at one point claimed, were so desperate for a new striker that they would have even paid a transfer fee for the 26-year-old in order to sign him in the winter rather than waiting until the summer.

Ultimately, they ended up bringing in Wout Weghorst on loan, which turned out to be the first of a string of bad decisions. In the summer, with Thuram available for nothing, the Red Devils made their next mistake by again passing up the opportunity to sign him because Erik ten Hag wanted a more traditional number nine rather than Thuram, who works best in a front two and can also play on the wing.

READ MORE: Mount E, Hojlund C - Grading every Man Utd signing this season

Man Utd's blunder

There was a lot of talk about Man Utd's lack of funds in the summer of 2023. Financial Fair Play restrictions and uncertainty over the club's ownership meant that Ten Hag and company were operating on a restricted budget, so it was strange for them not to pounce on a free transfer opportunity.

Instead, Man Utd ended up signing young striker Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta for an eye-watering €74 million. It took the 21-year-old a while to get going but he eventually did turn out to be quite prolific. The consensus is that the Dane has what it takes to become a very good striker for the Red Devils.

Yet, Man Utd have still struggled to perform because they have no adequate cover for Hojlund, which again illustrates what a terrible decision not signing Thuram was. The Frenchman would have offered proven quality, top-level experience and tactical flexibility.

Signing Thuram would have killed several birds with one stone. He would have allowed Ten Hag to tweak his system, he could have provided cover for Hojlund and Marcus Rashford on the wing and, perhaps more importantly, he would also have been able to occasionally lead the line himself and take the pressure off the young Dane.

It is difficult to believe that Man Utd could not have found a way to sign both Thuram on a free transfer and Hojlund for big money despite their financial issues. Ultimately, Thuram ended up at Inter and is now a champion of Italy.

Compared

Marcus Thuram

F (CL), AM (L)

Inter

Marcus Thuram

F (CL), AM (L)

Inter

VS

Rasmus Højlund

F (CRL)

Man Utd

Rasmus Højlund

F (CRL)

Man Utd

2023/2024

Season Statistics

2023/2024

42	Appearances	36
14	Goals	13
12	Assists	2

READ MORE: Ten Hag given 'one-month trial' to save Man Utd job as sack looms

Thuram seals Inter's title

The Frenchman has formed one of football's deadliest partnerships with the brilliant Lautaro Martinez, who has gone on to become one of the world's best strikers, and Thuram has even outperformed Hojlund even though he has not been used as a classic number nine.

Despite standing at a towering 192cm (6ft 4in), Thuram is incredibly mobile and loves to provide his teammates with scoring opportunities. This is illustrated by the fact that he has notched 14 goals and 12 assists in 42 games across all competitions this season.

Thuram ended up scoring the goal that sealed Inter's 20th Scudetto as they beat rivals AC Milan 2-1 on Monday. Yet, had Man Utd perhaps been a little bit shrewder in the market, the France international could have formed one of Europe's best strike partnerships with Rasmus Hojlund rather than Lautaro Martinez.