Manchester United fans fondly recall last year’s Champions League game against Villarreal, where the Red Devils fought back after scoring a goal and won an unforgettable 2-1 victory in the last minutes.
The last-gasp victory meant a lot to the club after they broke their heart in the Europa League final against the same opponent. Alex Telles’ memorable strike and Cristiano Ronaldo’s heroics secured three points.
One of the players who didn’t enjoy the best evenings was Diogo Dalot. He started out as a right-back and was repeatedly cheated by Villarreal’s left winger Arnaut Danjuma.
United was a big fan of Danjuma.
In the summer, the Manchester Evening News reported that United were an ardent fan of the Dutch winger a year after he was considered as an alternative to Jaydon Sancho.”
The Dutch player had a release clause of 45 million euros, but instead the Old Trafford club decided to spend 73 million pounds on the former Borussia Dortmund star.
Danjuma has claimed that "you always have to say yes" when asked if he was open to a move to the Premier League #mufc https://t.co/k1zR6cZdrY
— Man United News (@ManUtdMEN) December 23, 2022
It was easy to see why United had been following him since his departure from England after Bournemouth failed to return to the Premier League from the Championship.
Danjuma became Villarreal’s top scorer in the history of the Champions League, scoring six goals in 11 matches. That’s not all, as he also became his team’s top scorer in La Liga with 10 goals.
The Dutchman has scored five goals in 15 games this season despite injury problems. Last season he was a real discovery, scoring 16 goals and adding four assists in 34 games.
Eric ten Haag knows him well from his time in the Netherlands and will be aware of his versatility, which can solve a lot of potential headaches for the manager.
Danjuma is open to return to PL
The 25-year-old recently announced his desire to return to the Premier League, which may trigger further investigations regarding his availability.
“You should always say yes. You can’t close the door to the Premier League. At the right time, at the right moment in my career, you always have to be ready for it,” Danjuma told The Athletic when asked about his future.
Danjuma has shown his versatility and how he can adapt to any tactical system — a trait that Ten Hag prefers his players to have.
He added: “I played 4-3-3 as a left winger. Last year with Unai Emery I excelled in the 4-4-2 system when we played with two strikers and I was on the left flank. We played according to the 4-3-3 scheme, where I was also a striker.”
