Manchester United were heavily linked with a move for Yerry Mina before the Colombian international joined Everton.
After finishing runners-up in the 2017/18 Premier League, then-Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was eager to add more quality to his squad to ensure they would challenge for the title.
United went on to sign players like Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant, which were nowhere near enough to bridge the gap at the top of the table.
Mourinho would now reflect on how United were unable to make the changes he demanded, which led to a turbulent campaign in 2018/19.
Despite leading United to League Cup and Europa League titles after arriving in 2016, Mourinho was eventually sent packing his bags in December 2018, with the Red Devils sixth in the league table, trailing Liverpool by 19 points.
United’s recruitment was questionable at best during Mourinho’s reign, spending almost £400 million on 11 players, and they missed out on many targets identified by the Portuguese coach.
Jose Mourinho hosting press conference as Fenerbahce manager
Photo by Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images
Yerry Mina reflects on snubbing Man Utd for Everton
One player who caught Mourinho’s attention in the summer of 2018 was Yerry Mina, who had joined Barcelona from Brazilian side Palmeiras in January of that year.
Mina’s time at Barcelona did not go as planned, as he made only six appearances in all competitions. It is believed there was a breakdown in relations between Mina and former Barca coach Ernesto Valverde.
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Meanwhile, Mourinho wanted United to sign a new centre-back, despite previously bringing Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof to the club.
Mina received a call from Mourinho over a possible move to United, but he went on to join Marco Silva at Everton before spending five years in the Premier League.
Mina told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “I wanted to leave Barcelona, even though the fans adored me. But I wanted to play. Mourinho, who was at Manchester United, called me.” He said: ‘If you’re fit, you’ll play.’ But I had to recover. Marco Silva convinced me to go to Everton.”
Mina is currently playing for Cagliari following a season at Fiorentina.
Ruben Amorim happy with Man Utd’s defence
Since becoming United’s head coach, Amorim has introduced a back-three system to his defence.
It looks like the players are acclimatising themselves to the new system, but the only way to prove that is by winning football matches.
There have been no rumours about United looking to strengthen their defence this summer, which suggests Amorim is happy with the players he has available to him for the season ahead.
They include Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, Ayden Heaven, Luke Shaw, and Lisandro Martinez has yet to return from injury.
• At 19 years old, Rio Ferdinand was on loan to Bournemouth.
• At 19 years old, Nemanja Vidic was playing for Red Star Belgrade.
• At 19 years old, Jaap Stam was playing for FC Zwolle.
At 19 years old, Leny Yoro is playing for United. He has such a high ceiling. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/FXOZzrTAXb
— Manchester United Forever (@Utd_Forever7) August 21, 2025
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United focused on strengthening their attacking department in the transfer window, although there is now hope Amorim will get to sign a defensive midfielder or goalkeeper to help protect his back-three defence.