Ralf Rangnick revealed that Manchester United refused to make a move for Dusan Vlahovic in January, allowing Juventus to secure his signature.
The Red Devils’ poor form has consistently frustrated fans this season, with the only player consistently performing being a 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, fresh off his move away from the Bianconeri. Manchester United currently sit 6th in the Premier League table, five points behind 4th place Arsenal.
Speaking in a press conference today, Rangnick discussed the board’s refusal to sign a new striker in the January transfer window.
“The answer at the time was no, there was no player on the market that could really help us. But there were a few.
“Diaz who is now at Liverpool, Alvarez who will be at Manchester City in the summer, Vlahovic who at the time still was with Fiorentina. Those are just three of them that come across my mind now.
“We had four days off at the time and on the Sunday I was informed about the issues with Mason Greenwood and obviously Anthony Martial had already left and then I was aware that within four days we had some strikers missing and it might make sense.
“We were still in three competitions – Champions League, FA Cup and fourth in the league, but that’s in the past and it doesn’t help us anymore.
“I spoke to the board and said ‘shouldn’t we at least speak and try and analyse if we could get a player either on loan or as a permanent deal’, but in the end the answer was no.
“I still believe that we should have at least tried. If we would’ve found and been able in 48 hours, 48 hours is short notice but it’s still 48 hours. It might have been worth to try and internally discuss but we didn’t and it was not done.”
Vlahovic was heavily linked with a Premier League club in January as Arsenal were reportedly desperate to secure his signature. He was not keen on the move, however, and held on for Juventus’ offer, which eventually arrived in the final few days of the window.
The 22-year-old Serbian striker has scored seven goals and provided two assists in the 18 appearances made since his move.
Ralf Rangnick reveals he wanted a new striker at Man Utd in January: “But the answer from the board was: ‘No’. There were Luís Díaz, who is now at Liverpool; Julián Álvarez, who will be at Man City in the summer; and Vlahovic, who at the time was still with Fiorentina”. 🔴 #MUFC pic.twitter.com/gjV0FR0FCD
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 6, 2022