Man Utd make SHOCK decision on signing Quenda Plan B

Tom Weber

Updated: 18 Mar 2025 04:24 CDT
4 min read

Manchester United will not sign an alternative to Geovany Quenda after being beaten to his signature by Chelsea, according to a report.

It came as shocking news last week when it emerged that Chelsea and not Man Utd had managed to strike a deal for the Sporting CP wonderkid. Quenda had already agreed personal terms with Man Utd and was seen as a priority target for Ruben Amorim, who had given the 17-year-old his senior debut.

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However, Man Utd could not commit to a deal this early in the year. The uncertainty surrounding their sporting and financial situation made it impossible to agree a €50 million transfer with so much football still to be played.

Moreover, Man Utd wanted to bring in Quenda immediately. The versatile wide player turns 18 next month, so he would have been eligible to move this summer. Chelsea, on the other hand, agreed to leave him at Sporting for another season.

Finally, despite Quenda being keen to reunite with Amorim, the Chelsea project was more appealing not only because of the state of the club compared to Man Utd but also because it was made clear to him that Enzo Maresca views him as a winger and not a wing-back like Amorim.

Man Utd won't sign Quenda Plan B

Man Utd have been linked with a host of potential alternatives for Quenda since the news of Chelsea's hijack. According to Fabrizio Romano, Man Utd have been scouting Southampton winger Tyler Dibling, who is a traditional winger.

Additionally, there have been persistent links with Braga youngster Roger Fernandes, who is a player much more in the mould of Quenda as he can also play multiple positions out wide, including in a wing-back role.

However, GIVEMESPORT now reports that the Red Devils will not prioritise bringing in a like-for-like replacement for the Portuguese youngster.

The signing of Quenda was very much viewed as an opportunity to sign a potentially generational talent for a fair price rather than a transfer to specifically fix a problem position.

The report states that Man Utd will persist with this strategy. "The decision has been made to focus on landing an exciting talent who has similar attacking traits instead of finding someone who can feature in exactly the same position," it is claimed.

Man Utd will decide in the coming days and weeks how to use the money they had been freeing up for Quenda. Amorim wants to add an attacker with similar creativity to the 17-year-old and is less concerned with whether he can play wing-back and compete with Diogo Dalot.