No sooner has the dust settled on the colossal pile of cash Manchester United forked out to Juventus to buy back Paul Pogba than they are readying another bid for a former academy player.
At least that’s according to the Sun, who claim that Michael Keane is the next expensive error that the Red Devils are preparing to correct.
The defender was only allowed to leave Old Trafford last year, but the money men have already apparently realised their mistake and are prepared to pay over £20m to bring him back to the club.
On the one hand it makes sense, with a talented former United youth player in a position they are weak in seemingly available for the right price.
On the other hand it’s not the reputation one wants to build for one’s club – either in the way that it fails to recognise talent in the players it develops or in the way that they’ve consistently failed to put buy-back clauses into the deals that see these talented players move away.
Embarrassment should never hold a club back from a move that will be constructive, but it should be a good warning to be more forward-thinking in the future.