Over the course of the summer transfer window, Manchester United wanted a new midfielder, and targeted Frenkie de Jong.
That didn’t work out, as the player was reluctant to leave Barcelona, which led to Erik ten Hag and his staff to look at alternatives.
One of those was Adrien Rabiot, and reports in Italy suggested that Manchester United and Juventus quickly found an agreement over a transfer fee, meaning all that was left was for the player to find common ground with the Red Devils about a contract.
This is where things reportedly got sticky, as it was claimed the midfielder’s agent and mother wanted huge wages, which led to the deal collapsing.
Whether that is true or not, only they really know, but Rabiot never moved to Manchester United, stayed at Juventus, and quickly regained a starting role under Max Allegri.
This has led him to be included in Didier Deschamps’ squad for the World Cup in Qatar, which he spoke about with Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday.
Among the various topics of discussion, the newspaper asked him about his summer fiasco and what the future holds for him, since his contract at Juventus expires in the summer.
He said: “It’s true, there were contacts in the Premier League, but in the end, it was perhaps fortunate that I stayed, perhaps the best decision. The Premier League remains the most followed league, but I don’t think about the future. I stay focused on the World Cup.
“The club and I are in no hurry, there is serenity and we will have time to weigh up every possibility.”
It appears that Rabiot isn’t overly sad over his failed move to Manchester United, as it allowed him to play regularly and get him into the France squad.
Would that have happened had he transferred to Old Trafford? We’ll simply never know.
