Reports: Manchester United missed out on World Cup star by £3 million

What's the story?

According to the reports from the Sun, Manchester United did not sign Ivan Perisic for just saving £3m. Serie A side Inter Milan set a price tag of £48m for the Croatian superstar. United were willing to pay £45m.

His move to United looked almost certain two summers ago. Despite Jose Mourinho desperately wanting the Croatian, Ed Woodward refused to raise the bid to anything higher than £45m.

In case you didn't know...

Manchester United have not played up to their standards since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson as their manager. After Ferguson left the Red Devils, they appointed David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal as their manager and were sacked after just completing one season each.

Van Gaal was succeeded by Portugal born manager Jose Mourinho. He is one of the most successful managers in the world. He was appointed to solve United's problem and make them the most fearful club in the world. Mourinho insisted on signing the Croat when he joined the club, but he was not given the required support.

United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward behaved as a penny-pincher by not shelling out extra £3m to bring the Croat to the club.

The heart of the matter

Perisic is regarded as one of the most versatile players in the world. He usually plays as a winger. He can also play as an attacking midfielder or even as a striker.

According to whoscored.com. Perisic's strength are air duels, holding on the ball and last but not the least, he can make key passes. Another important quality of his is his speed and awareness of the game. He can make amazing runs into the final third and even trackback to whenever the team needs.

Croatia were very difficult to beat at the World Cup, which showed how resilient their players were during the competition. Players of such an incredible stamina are required in a tough league like the Premier League.

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What's next?

Manchester United needs to sign a player like Ivan Perisic in January if they want to win some trophies in the future.