Franco Mastantuono explains why he snubbed Manchester United for £38m Real Madrid move

Despite Manchester United’s best efforts, there would be no repeat of last summer’s Leny Yoro swoop as Real Madrid snatched River Plate wonderkid Franco Mastantuono from under the noses of the Premier League giants.

It is no secret that Leny Yoro was waiting for Real Madrid to make their move a year ago, only to have his arm twisted by the project put forward by Ineos.

A project which has since convinced Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha – arguably the two finest Premier League widemen not named Mo Salah last season – to choose Manchester United, even at their lowest ebb, over the likes of Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur.

And, at one point, there appeared to be a real chance that Franco Mastantuono could follow in Yoro’s footsteps.

Football correspondent Graeme Bailey exclusively told United in Focus that Manchester United had held talks with Mastantuono in May. Unlike a certain towering Frenchman, however, the 17-year-old sensation opted to hold out for Los Blancos.

And he was rewarded a few weeks later. Real Madrid finally agreed terms with Franco Mastantuono before triggering the £38 million release clause in his River Plate contract.

Photo by ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP via Getty Images

Xabi Alonso convinced Franco Mastantuono to choose Real Madrid over Manchester United

Speaking to DAZN this week, a footballer many believe could be the closest thing Argentina have produced to Lionel Messi in the last two decades opened up for the first time on how his dream switch to the Santiago Bernabeu came about.

While Ruben Amorim appears to be a coach who could sell chicken nuggets to the most committed vegan – the Red Devils boss successfully convincing both Cunha and the Old Trafford-bound Mbeumo – United were no match on this occasion for the thousand-watt grin of Xabi Alonso.

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“It has always been a dream. Everything changes, a new chapter begins in another country. Any player dreams of playing for River and Real Madrid,” Mastantuono beams. “It’s happening to me and I’m grateful.

“The way [Xabi Alonso] treated me was unbelievable. Having the coach want you is a huge vote of confidence for someone who is leaving a club like River, which isn’t easy.”

“The talk had a huge influence on me. His words really motivated me to make the jump.

“[Real Madrid] is the biggest club in the world. It’s the team that wins the most in Europe. Any player wants to play there. All players want to be there.

“I’m going to have to change my life to go play there.”

Mastantuono did consider joining Leny Yoro at Old Trafford

The aforementioned Bailey insists that Mastantuono did consider taking the Leny Yoro route to England’s North West. Manchester United were in the race until the final stretch, he tells United in Focus, only to see Real Madrid beat them by a nose.

“United were seriously interested and Mastantuono did consider Old Trafford. I am told it was really between them, Paris Saint Germain and Real,” Bailey explains. “But Real were always the one.

“Once Real decided to make their move, they used [former head coach and Argentina icon] Santiago Solari to push home the deal and he got it done.”

Fortunately, with the similarly right-sided, left-footed Bryan Mbeumo set to form a potentially exhilarating partnership with Amad Diallo on the flank, Man United look pretty well set in one key position for years to come.

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