Man Utd punished for Olise mistake

Cameron Smith

22 Sep 2024 10:00 CDT
3 min read

Manchester United’s failure to sign Michael Olise this summer has already haunted the Red Devils.

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Olise was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford before he joined Bayern Munich in July, but Erik ten Hag’s side were unable to finalise a deal with Crystal Palace and the France international moved to Bavaria instead.

Chelsea were also interested in the 22-year-old, however Olise opted to leave the Premier League in search of a new adventure in Germany.

Since his move to the Allianz Arena, Olise’s stock has risen exponentially thanks to a string of sensational performances.

He is now a fully-fledged senior France international and he has taken to the Bundesliga like a duck to water.

Olise failed to register a goal contribution in his first two competitive Bayern games, but his performance level was typically top notch.

This week, the Frenchman has stepped things up massively. He scored his first goal for Vincent Kompany’s side versus Holstein Kiel on 14 September and backed that up with a brace against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League just days later.

Olise then notched another brace during a 5-0 win over Werder Bremen on Saturday, while he also provided two quality assists.

The France international is firmly first-choice at Bayern and is well on his way to establishing himself as one of Europe’s most dangerous and effective wingers.

© IMAGO - Michael Olise in action for France

Why Man Utd will rue Michael Olise error

Noni Madueke’s form at Chelsea will have eased the Blues’ blow of missing out on Olise, but Man Utd have received no such respite.

Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho have shared right-wing duties at Old Trafford this season, with €95 million man Antony forced to warm the bench.

Amad and Garnacho are both top talents, but Man Utd are currently missing something in the final third and Olise may well have been that player.

Current ETV

Michael Olise

M, F (R), AM (C)

Bayern

Michael Olise

M, F (R), AM (C)

Bayern

ETV Range

€33.5M - €55.9M

The Red Devils are 11th in the Premier League table and despite racking up the second-highest xG tally in the division (9.4), Man Utd have only scored five goals - with just four teams registering less.

Olise is a reliable finisher and he would have also added additional creativity from the right flank.

Instead, Man Utd continue to underwhelm in attack and their failure to sign the Frenchman already looks like a major mistake.