Had Manchester United got their way, former Everton star Amadou Onana would have ended up at Old Trafford, not Villa Park
Aston Villa's Amadou Onana celebrates scoring
Aston Villa's Amadou Onana celebrates scoring(Image: Barrington Coombs/PA Wire)
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Manchester United made a last-ditch attempt to stop Amadou Onana from joining Aston Villa in the 2024 summer transfer window, but Unai Emery's 'crystal clear plan' made sure that the deal went through regardless.
That's according to Onana's sister Melissa, who also acts as the midfielder's agent. The Belgian international caught the attention of a number of Premier League clubs after joining Everton from French side Lille in August 2022.
Despite the Toffees' Premier League struggles, Onana impressed and it was Villa who locked the player into transfer talks ahead of last season.
But with a deal drawing close, United made a focused effort to try and hijack the deal, according to Het Nieuwsblad, as per Sport Witness. However, there was to be no late Old Trafford raid as the Villa dream had already been sold to the defensive midfielder.
An interview for TV show En Off by Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri saw Onana's sister and agent explain how the situation unfolded.
As reported by Belgian outlet Walfoot (as per Sport Witness ), she 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.”
Onana has made seven Premier League appearances for Villa so far this season and scored his first goal of the campaign in Sunday's 4-0 rout of Bournemouth at Villa Park. The emphatic victory moved Emery's side up to sixth in the table.