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da dobrowin： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
In an interview with Cadena Ser, Athletic Bilbao’s Inaki Williams has admitted there was contact with Manchester United over a summer move.
What’s the word?
The Red Devils were linked with a number of forwards over the course of the summer transfer window, with the likes of Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic amongst those involved in the conversation.
Reports in the closing stages of the window had suggested Williams was an option too, but it now appears the Spaniard turned down the opportunity to join the Manchester side.
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He said: “I had contact from Manchester United but I cannot tell you who it was. My no.1 option has always been to stay at Athletic Club and to retire here. Joining Real Sociedad? No, I could never go there. 100 per cent.”
Dynamism
A versatile forward, Williams would have fit snugly into the kind of high-intensity game-plan Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is trying to implement.
Last season, the Spain international predominantly operated from the central role, scoring 14 times in 33 games from that central position. However, his raw pace and trickery meant Bilbao also used him from both the right and the left, and that kind of adaptability would have tied in well with United’s fluid attack.
This season, Williams clocked a ridiculously quick 34.37 km/h, making him the fastest player in La Liga. Placing him in the United front-line would have added a player who has a real knack of making penetrating runs in behind with his pace. Speaking after the 25-year-old’s goal-scoring display in a victory over Sevilla, Bilbao manager Gaizka Garitano said: “He’s a sprinter, he needs space, and he has more away from home. A striker lives off goals and you see when he’s more confident.”
United’s best performance this season? Against Chelsea, when they carved the Blues open with a devastating display of counter-attacking football. Signing Williams would have added another string to that bow, and eased some of the burden on the likes of Daniel James, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. If the Red Devils were to revisit their interest in the future, it would be a very logical choice indeed.
That said, it will be mighty difficult to pry him away after he signed a whopping nine-year contract with the Spanish outfit.
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