The Athletic: Man Utd will rectify deadline-day failure by signing ‘game changer’ who rejected Arsenal

Manchester United may have endured a lousy deadline day, but they’re still expected to recruit Louis Page at some point.

For the first time in seven years, the Premier League giants didn’t welcome any player at Carrington on the final day of the summer transfer window.

The fans were expecting the arrival of a new left-back, but the issue was left unaddressed. Jason Wilcox and Co. simply didn’t find a suitable match, and they refused to go after a ‘panic buy’.

Man United opted against meeting Leicester’s price for Louis Page

While the left-back situation is causing a stir among MUFC supporters who are wondering how Luke Shaw will fare without a proper backup, the attacking department is also causing concern.

Everton made a late attempt to sign Joshua Zirkzee, but it was deemed a little too late to INEOS’ liking. With no replacement lined up, the Dutchman was poised to stay and serve as a benchwarmer at Michael Carrick’s court.

Interestingly, Man Utd did make a concrete attempt to buy a new player on Tuesday, but it happened to be a Louis Page, an 18-year-old midfielder who is already considered a ‘game changer’ at Leicester.

The two clubs were engaged in direct talks. According to The Athletic journalist Laurie Whitwell, United were willing to pay £10 million for the promising teenager, but eventually backed out when the Foxes raised the asking price to £12 million plus £3 million in bonuses.

Nevertheless, the MUFC correspondent firmly expects INEOS to launch a new attempt for Page, who gave his preference to the Old Trafford outfit after rejecting Arsenal’s approach.

When will Man Utd launch a new onslaught for Page?

At this stage, it remains unclear whether Man Utd will rekindle their interest in the young player as early as January or wait until next summer.

This could largely depend on Leicester’s league status, as they’re hoping to climb back to the Championship after a shocking demotion to League One, and based on the early evidence, Page is considered an integral member of their plans.

In fact, he was in the starting lineup on Tuesday evening as the Foxes went on to beat Plymouth by two goals to nil.

(Page’s stats on Tuesday via FotMob)

The crux for Man Utd is that the longer they wait, the more they’ll have to pay, as a solid campaign among the seniors could see the teenager’s price soar.

In hindsight, Wilcox and co. could live to regret their decision to walk out of the negotiations, especially if Page goes on to prove he was worthy of the asking price.