Borussia Dortmund star Emre Can has revealed that he had rejected a January move to Manchester United only due to his past relationship with Liverpool.
Emre Can is currently enjoying life at Borussia Dortmund. But he could have easily played for Manchester United right now had it not been for his stint at Liverpool, who appear to be the arch-rival of the Red Devils. And as reported by Mirror, it was the main reason behind his decision to reject a move to Man United.
Can was indeed a hot prospect in the market during the January transfer window. The Juventus star attracted interest from a host of clubs across Europe. He ended up joining Dortmund on a short-term loan deal. But, following his early success, the Bundesliga outfit have decided to make his move permanent.
As for Manchester United, missing out on Can turned out to be a blow for Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer. Although new signing Bruno Fernandes has had success since joining from Sporting in January, the club still lacks the services of a reliable holding midfielder.
Nemanja Matic’s steady decline has been evident over the past couple of years while Scott McTominay has missed the chunk of the season due to the knee injury. Paul Pogba, meanwhile, has mustered only 520 minutes of league football this campaign.
Can’s potential addition, in that regard, could have added some steel in the midfield department. His combination with Fred would have made Manchester United much more vigilant in the middle third of the park, thus allowing them to compete better not only in the Premier League but also in Europe.
Borussia Dortmund, in contrast, have been greatly profited by the arrival of the German international, who has already built a strong partnership with Axel Witsel in the double-pivot.
Indeed, Can’s experience, coupled with his physically astute nature and aggression have tuned in well with Lucien Favre’s style of play. Moreover, his proficiency from long-range has forced the opposition to keep an eye out for him and restrict him with time and space on the ball.
Can notably starred for Borussia Dortmund in their first-leg win over Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League. The two sides are set to face against in the second leg this midweek and it will be interesting to see whether or not he will be able to maintain his tremendous run of form.
