EPL: Marcel Bout slams Man Utd for failing to sign two players

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Former Manchester United scout Marcel Bout has hit out at the club for ignoring his transfer advice over former Ajax youth products Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt.

Man United were earlier heavily linked with De Jong, most notably back in 2022.

However, the Red Devils failed to lure the Dutch midfielder away from Barcelona because of a number of reasons, including deferred wages.

However, according to Bout, Man United were also once told to sign De Ligt from Ajax along with De Jong.

Speaking with Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, Bout said: “I said to Ed Woodward: ‘Edwin van der Sar played here. Now, create a bridge to Ajax through him’; 17-year-old Matthijs de Ligt played in training. Later, Frenkie de Jong came to Ajax. Make sure that you make a deal early on for these kinds of talents and then you can always let them mature for a while in the Netherlands.

“[My advice went ignored] because there are so many forces at play within United. [The United bosses] don’t make decisions or make them too late. Isn’t that a shame? My dismissal has made me very angry.”