Rayan Cherki is the latest player to join Manchester City.
Man City announced the signing of Cherki on Tuesday night as the French star becomes the first part of the midfield revamp at the Etihad Stadium, with the Premier League club set to announce the signing of Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan next.
The former Lyon star was not the Manchester club’s first choice for the role, as Pep Guardiola was very keen on Florian Wirtz, but it shows how highly the French star is rated, as Cherki was also on Liverpool’s transfer list, had they missed out on the Bayer Leverkusen star.
Back in 2019, numerous clubs were very interested in signing the new Man City star and among them was their city rivals, Manchester United.
Man United were very interested in Rayan Cherki in 2019
Hugo Viana is very happy with the signing of Cherki, but that may not have happened had Man United acquired the French star’s talents back in 2019.
In France, it was reported at the time that all the European powerhouses, including Real Madrid, Juventus, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, had an interest in the midfielder, but United’s was unusual.
According to The Telegraph, United tended in the past not to get involved in major bidding for scholarship-aged players across Europe.
The Red Devils signed Dutch youth international Tahith Chong from Feyenoord in 2016, but their academy recruitment model has focused on trying to scout and retain the best British talent, combined with signing a handful of players from around the EU on lower-cost professional deals.
It was reported that Man United would have to offer their biggest-ever contract to a scholarship-age player were they to convince Cherki to come to Manchester, first as a scholar and then with a guaranteed professional deal at 17.
It was believed at the time that the Manchester club were willing to do that, which shows how highly rated the French star has been throughout his career, that Man United were willing to break their rules for him.
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How Rayan Cherki compares to Bruno Fernandes
Had Man United successfully signed Cherki in 2019, the French star would likely be competing for a spot in Ruben Amorim’s team with Bruno Fernandes at present, as the Premier League giants would have still signed the Portuguese star in 2020.
Both players play in similar positions since they like to be used in the 10; however, their versatility can see them deployed out wide as well.
| Player | Games | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
| Rayan Cherki | 44 | 12 | 20 | 3097 |
| Bruno Fernandes | 57 | 19 | 19 | 4932 |
Despite Man United having a poor season last time around, Fernandes was one of the only players to stand up and be counted, as the Portuguese star carried his team to the Europa League final.
It would be hard for Cherki to take his place; however, Amorim’s system would have been perfect for the French star, given that the United coach uses two attacking midfielders.
The 21-year-old would have no doubt thrived at Old Trafford, but given the position the Red Devils are currently in, the midfielder will be happy with how things played out.
