Truth of why Man Utd were rejected by star Prem midfielder for rivals revealed by his sister | OneFootball

The sister of a star Premier League midfielder has revealed why he turned down the chance to join Manchester United and instead headed to a league rival.

United’s midfield is perhaps the area causing the most worry at the moment. The attack has been addressed, with summer signings Bryan Mbeumo – Premier League player of the month for October – Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko all developing well.

There is a wealth of defensive options, with the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez, Leny Yoro and Harry Maguire in the centre, and Patrick Dorgu, Diogo Dalot and Amad Diallo out in the wide roles.

But in the midfield, Manuel Ugarte has struggled, Casemiro has been inconsistent, Bruno Fernandes is playing out of position and Kobbie Mainoo can’t get a game.

United attempted to sort their midfield in 2024, with Amadou Onana courted after a solid spell with Everton.

His sister has now revealed why Onana turned down United in favour of heading to Aston Villa, where he’s since played 43 times and scored six goals.

Onana’s sister and agent, Melissa, said: “Aston Villa’s sporting project was crystal clear. It was a project where Amadou could continue to develop. We spoke with the sporting director, and the salary was also attractive, let’s not kid ourselves.

“The Euros were coming up, Amadou was performing well, and we finalised the deal. Then, Manchester United entered the picture. But I had already given my word to Aston Villa.

“We knew very well that Manchester would be able to offer better financial terms, but we had already given our word to Aston Villa, and the project was a good fit. The style of football played, the club’s ambition: Amadou felt right at home there.”

Had United’s approach come earlier, Onana could perhaps have been lacing up his boots at Old Trafford now rather than Villa Park.

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Given the current drawbacks of the United midfield, there’s a good chance Onana would be starting there.

That said, when fit, he has been an important member of Villa’s side. This season, either side of a hamstring injury, Onana has played seven times in the Premier League, starting six games and scoring once.

That goal came in a 4-0 thrashing of Bournemouth last time out – who started the day above Villa – and pushed the Midlands outfit up to sixth in the table, within two points of third.

As such, there is a sense that Villa could push on and continue to impress, as they have done for the last couple of seasons -finishing in the top six in both.