Ratcliffe can fix Man Utd transfer mistake with statement signing

Tom Weber

Updated: 16 Mar 2024 12:24 CDT
5 min read

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Man Utd, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Former Manchester United target Kim Min-jae has admitted to being unhappy with his current role at Bayern Munich.

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The towering South Korean defender, aptly nicknamed 'Monster,' joined the perennial Bundesliga champions for a relatively reasonable €50 million after helping Napoli claim their first Serie A title in 33 years.

Kim arrived with sizeable expectations after establishing himself as one of Europe's top defenders last season. However, the struggles of Bayern under Thomas Tuchel this term have meant that the 27-year-old has not always been able to play his best football.

Indeed, Tuchel's style of management has seemingly only made things worse. Already in December, the South Korean admitted to "not being completely happy" with his first half-season in Bavaria due to "still not being assured that I'm a starter." Tuchel's chopping and changing has only become more intense since.

Kim naturally lost his place while on national team duty at the Asian Cup before being thrown into the deep end against Bayer Leverkusen shortly after returning - a game which ended in a 3-0 disaster and effectively ended Bayern's title hopes. With Tuchel's summer exit confirmed, the German coach has seemingly thrown all of his early-season ideas out of the window, which has only exacerbated the defender's predicament.

Man Utd should pounce

Previously, Tuchel did not favour Matthijs de Ligt, but in recent weeks, the Dutchman has become an undisputed starter at the expense of Kim. This is bad news for Man Utd and Arsenal who had hoped to sign the disgruntled former Ajax man in the summer.

Now, it seems Kim could be the one on his way out instead. Speaking to t-online, the South Korean has admitted that being a substitute is unusual for him and that this is even resulting in self-doubts. "So far, I've played a lot of games, but because there are so many good players here at Bayern, it can happen that I don't play."

"[At previous clubs] I used to always be on the pitch even when I thought I wasn't good enough, but now I think that regardless of whether I play well or not I could be dropped depending on the team's performance and that of my teammates."

Kim is at the peak of his powers and will want to be a regular starter again, so there could be an opportunity to wrest him from Bayern in the summer. Man Utd, it should be recalled, were very hot on his trail last year, but they couldn't sign him due to their Financial Fair Play restrictions and lack of funds.

This year, the story will be very different. Thanks to Sir Jim Ratcliffe's investment, there will be major spending in the summer, regardless of whether Erik ten Hag gets the sack or remains in charge, and the defence is one of the key areas that will need improving.

Last summer, the only defensive reinforcement Ten Hag ended up getting was a 35-year-old Jonny Evans. This summer, big names will be targeted and given that Ratcliffe, who is also the boss of INEOS-owned Nice, has no intention to give Man Utd any sort of discount on Jean-Clair Todibo, Kim could be a viable option.

Indeed, according to data experts SciSports, the Red Devils would be well-advised to make a move for the 27-year-old. He would instantly be the club's best centre-back in terms of current ability, better than the likes of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez. At this point, it is, of course, too early to say whether Kim will look for a way out of Munich, but he could be one to keep an eye on.