Manchester United supporters will have fond recollections of last season’s Champions League game against Villareal where the Red Devils came back from a goal down to memorably snatch a 2-1 victory in the dying minutes.
The last-gasp win meant a lot to the club after their Europa League final heartbreak against the same opposition. A memorable Alex Telles strike and Cristiano Ronaldo‘s heroics ensured the three points.
One player who did not enjoy the best of nights was Diogo Dalot. He started as the right-back and was repeatedly bamboozled by Villareal left winger Arnaut Danjuma.
United were big fans of Danjuma
The Manchester Evening News had reported during the summer that “United were fond admirers of the Dutch winger a year after he was considered as an alternative to Jadon Sancho.”
The Dutch international had a release clause of €45million but the Old Trafford club instead chose to spend £73million on the former Borussia Dortmund star instead.
Danjuma has claimed that “you always have to say yes” when asked if he was open to a move to the Premier League #mufc https://t.co/k1zR6cZdrY
— Man United News (@ManUtdMEN) December 23, 2022
It was easy to see why United were tracking him since his departure from England after Bournemouth failed to bounce back to the Premier League from the Championship.
Danjuma became Villarreal’s all-time top scorer in the Champions League with six goals in 11 appearances. That’s not all as he also finished as his team’s top goal scorer in La Liga with 10 goals.
The Dutch international has registered five goals in 15 appearances this season despite injury problems. Last season, he was a revelation, netting 16 times and adding four assists in 34 games.
Erik ten Hag will know him well from his days in the Netherlands and will be aware of his versatility which could solve a lot of potential headaches for the manager.
Danjuma open to PL return
The 25-year-old has recently revealed his wish to return to the Premier League which might prompt further inquisitions regarding his availability.
“You always have to say yes. You can’t shut the door to the Premier League. At the right time, at the right moment in my career, you always have to be open to that,” Danjuma told The Athletic when quizzed on his future.
Danjuma revealed his versatility and how he can acclimatise to any tactical system — a trait that Ten Hag prefers his players to have.
He added, “I’ve played 4-3-3 as a left-winger. I succeeded last year with Unai Emery in a 4-4-2 system where we played with two strikers and I was on the left side. We played 4-3-3 where I was the striker myself as well.”
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