The Portugal international was spoilt for choice in the summer.
Renato Sanches has revealed that Bayern Munich’s belief in him made his decision to join the German champions over Manchester United an easy one, as quoted by Goal.
Jose Mourinho made a huge statement in the summer transfer market, recruiting heavily with four new arrivals costing more than £150 million.
Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba all arrived in Mourinho’s attempt to return United to the top of the English game.
However, there was a player the United boss missed out on. One of the hottest prospects in world football moved to Allianz Arena ahead of Old Trafford.
Bayern paid £27.5m, according to Sky Sports, for 19-year-old Sanches, who shone at Euro 2016 for the eventual winners Portugal.
Mourinho admitted to Sport TV that had he arrived at United earlier than May, he would have fought to seal Sanches’ services.
He told Sport TV: “I arrived late. I signed in May. If I had arrived earlier, I’d have fought for him.
“Manchester United watched Renato many times, and maybe I did it even more. In so much time at home, I watched many Benfica and Portuguese league games.”
But it turns out Mourinho may never have stood a chance anyway, as Sanches explained to Goal why he opted for Bayern ahead of United.
“I had a good feeling about it right away when I heard about Bayern Munich’s interest,” the midfielder told Goal.
“They really put in a lot of effort and I immediately got a feeling the people in charge believed in me as a player.
“That was the decisive factor behind my decision to join Bayern.”
And you can’t blame him. Bayern had just clinched their fourth straight Bundesliga title while United missed out on a Champions League spot, finishing fifth in the Premier League.
The German club capitalised on the uncertainty surrounding the managerial position at Old Trafford, with Louis van Gaal also wanting to sign the teenager before he was sacked.
“We knew very well that Renato had a firm offer from Manchester United, Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Bild.
“I heard that the United deal couldn’t be completed, as they didn’t know who their next manager would be.”
Sanches, who helped his country to Euro success in France, got his first taste of action in a Bayern shirt on September 9 in a 2-0 away victory to Schalke.
His debut provoked mixed reviews, as he struggled to adapt to the pace of the match and regularly lost possession.
Yet working alongside the likes of Xabi Alonso, Arturo Vidal and Philipp Lahm will surely only increase Mourinho’s regret as Sanches becomes better and better.
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