The latest report claim that Man United had the opportunity to sign Brazilian international Gabriel Magalhaes when he was in France with Lille but they were unserious about his pursuit and let Arsenal get him without a fight in the last summer transfer window.
Just like Mikel Arteta, Ole Gunnar Solakjer also had a need for a central defender but for reasons that were not known, he joined the North London outfit about two months ago.
His presence in the team has been felt, helping the club to be more solid at the back and winning some clean sheets. He scored a goal in his first season and was named the Player of the Month of September.
Gabriel Magalhaes was initially not given the chance by pundits and critics who held the opinion that he was not experienced with Premier league and cannot speak English language but that has been dismissed with his loud performance at the Emirates Stadium.
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Speaking his praise, Man United legend Gary Neville said “Arsenal’s defensive performance has been brilliant, from front to back, but the back-three have been good,” said Neville.
“Gabriel has been fantastic, so far I’d say he’s been the best player on the pitch, for me.”
The likes of Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain, and Man United were interested in the service of the 22-year-old but he made it clear that the Gunners boss sounded very convincing about the project at Arsenal and he wanted to be part of it.
RMC Sport reports that Man United chief, Ed Woodward held a meeting with the representatives of the former Lille defender even if the player would have chosen Arsenal but he was unable to push for the deal.
However, Man United are still in need of a centre-back that will partner Harry Maguire as they are not convinced by the performances of other defenders in the team.
