I worked alongside Alex Ferguson, I’m baffled Man Utd didn’t try sign Chelsea star

Former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen is baffled his old side didn’t attempt to sign Cole Palmer before his move to Chelsea.

Palmer left the Etihad in the summer of the 2023 and has established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Palmer, born in Wythenshawe, has previously admitted to being a United supporter when he was younger despite joining the City academy aged seven.

While there have been no moves between the Manchester clubs at senior level since Owen Hargreaves’ free transfer to the blue half of the city in 2011, Meulensteen, once Sir Alex Ferguson’s right-hand man, believes his old side ‘missed out’ on the Chelsea star.

‘It’s hypothetical, but can you imagine Manchester United could grab Erling Haaland, he’d add 25 or 30 goals straight away,’ Meulensteen told OLBG.

‘Then you look at Rodri, he’d bring so much stability to the midfield, then Phil Foden, look at how incredible he was last season.

‘When it comes to missing out on players, look at Cole Palmer, why did he end up at Chelsea when he is a Manchester United fan? Why did United not pick him up?’

United are reeling from a 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday with Leny Yoro making his full debut for the club that evening.

The French youngster has recovered from a fractured metatarsal suffered during pre-season, taking up a role in Ruben Amorim’s three at the back system.

Yoro was part of a backline that shipped three goals at home on Saturday with Chris Wood getting the better of him for what turned out to be Forest’s winning goal.

Meulensteen has warned the 19-year-old should not yet be considered a ‘guaranteed starter’, urging fans to temper their expectations this season.

‘We haven’t seen enough to say that Leny Yoro should be a guaranteed starter for Manchester United, it can take a lot of time to settle in the Premier League,’ Meulensteen said.

‘It can be easy, but some need more time and it depends on how you are integrated into a team and how well that team is playing. It can be harder when a team is finding their feet under a new manager like United.

‘He is young, he has lots of potential, but it’s too early to say if he will be a regular part of the back three going forward. We shouldn’t expect too much of him yet.’