Dayot Upamecano has revealed why he rejected the chance sign for Manchester United in favour of a move to Red Bull Salzburg.
RB Leipzig defender Upamecano is known as one of the most promising centre-backs in Europe and is set to join Bayern Munich in July for a reported £37million.
The 22-year-old has been linked to a host of English clubs, most notably Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool but it was United who showed interest in 2015.
The France international had caught the eyes of a host of clubs after receiving considerable hype during his stint at the academy of Ligue 2 side Valenciennes.
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Upamecano says he was flattered by the interest shown but he admitted that his former sporting director, Ralf Rangnick, was a key factor in him rejecting the Red Devils to join the Austrian club.
“I was a young boy. I wanted to sign for them straight away. Manchester United,” Upamecano told The Athletic. “But then my parents took me aside and said: ‘Let’s think carefully about this’.
“We thought about it for a long time and then decided that going step by step was the best option for me. Everything Ralf said came true.”
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Rangnick’s promise of a clear pathway to Salzburg’s first team was delivered and Upamecano became a force in the heart of their team until 2017 when he joined RB Leipzig.
The Frenchman’s time in Germany has subsequently been a resounding success, making 151 appearances for Leipzig to date. His remarkable four and a half seasons in the Bundesliga has since seen him agree to sign for Bayern this summer in a £36 million deal.