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Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano has revealed that he came inches close to joining Manchester United when he was 16 years old and still a youth prospect.
Before his blockbuster move to the Allianz Arena and while still an RB Leipzig player, Upamecano was linked to United on multiple occasions but a transfer never came to fruition.
The Frenchman has since established himself as a vital member and a guaranteed starter at Bayern Munich.
Upamecano started his career in France with Évreux before moving to Valenciennes’ U-19 side. It is from Valenciennes that he made the jump to RB Salzburg and then RB Leipzig.
At Leipzig, Upamecano forged a formidable partnership with Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate – his performances at the time caught United’s eye.
The 24-year-old made 154 appearances for Die Roten Bullen.
Upamecano told Onze Mondial via SportWitness, “I’m going to tell you about my best anecdote in Valenciennes (laughs).”
“It was December or January, I was meant to sign for Manchester United.”
“So, I said goodbye to everyone, thanked everyone and packed my bags. And finally, the signature was not at the end. Result: I had to return to Valenciennes.”
“It was really difficult, everyone attacked me: ‘You made fun of us, you big liar, you told us fibs! You weren’t even supposed to sign at Manchester United actually.”
Upamecano added, “And there, I understood one thing: when you are not sure of something, you should never say it.”
He remarked that the experience taught him to hold his tongue and not to air out his affairs for everyone to see.
After the switch to Old Trafford fell through, Upamecano, who is said to be a United fan, only stayed at Valenciennes for two years before getting his big break with RB Salzburg.
