Portuguese teen sensation Renato Sanches has opened up on why he decided to join Bayern Munich despite having the option to sign for Manchester United.
The former Benfica man ended up signing for the German Champions in a £30 million deal and penned a 5-year contract. Sanches was recently asked to explain his decision and the teenager was convinced that the idea to join Bayern was a wiser choice despite United making constructive efforts.
Earlier this month Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge also confirmed that United’s lack of clarity saw them lose out on the 19-year-old midfielder who is destined to have a very successful career ahead of him.
According to reports from Telegraph, Louis Van Gaal was not too keen on the Euro 2016 winner, however, had Jose Mourinho been in charge of the club a bit sooner, the ‘Special One’ would have indeed made an effort to sign Sanches.
Sanches believes he can learn more at Bayern
The Euro 2016 winner opened up on his decision to join Bayern earlier this week and one of the striking points that came from his interview was his praise for Bayern on making an early move and how his game can improve at Allianz with a lot more quality players around.
In an interview with Bild, Sanches said, "I had a good feeling about it right away when I heard about Bayern Munich's interest.
"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.”
"But I am also playing alongside a lot of world-class players here.”
"I can learn from all of them, especially from the players who play in midfield like Arturo Vidal, Xabi Alonso and Thiago Alcantara."
While Sanches did not mention Manchester United’s current struggles, his praise was only reserved for Bayern Munich players which indicates that he rates Bayern ahead of United in terms of squad quality.
Will United regret letting Sanches go?
On the basis of his performance at the Euros, everyone seems to be convinced that Sanches will be a big star in the near future, and with a manager like Carlo Ancelotti guiding him, he will probably be a star in the Bundesliga and in the Champions League as well.
On the other hand, United are still trying to sort out their midfield options, with record-signing Paul Pogba not yet in form. The Frenchman has failed to live up to his £89m price tag and if reports are to be believed, United are looking at the likes of Danny Drinkwater, William Carvalho and Isco as potential January signings to shore up the midfield