Neymar has made known last summer that he wanted out of Paris Saint-Germain, and giant teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid did scramble to sign up the Brazilian superstar. Not surprisingly, Manchester United thought of joining the fray but passed up eventually on the chance to have a solid Ballon d'Or contender on its roster.
In fact, United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is sold on the idea of acquiring Neymar, described as category A superstar. Supposedly, Woodward appreciated the prestige of having "at least one Ballon d'Or contender," as part of the squad.
So it's a mystery United had decided to let Barca and Real compete for the Brazilian striker, who in the end did stay with PSG.
Now it can be told why the Red Devils opted out despite the pressing need for the attacking talents that obviously Neymar possesses. For one, the Reds thought the forward's character is not in sync with that of United, per the report by The Daily Mail.
The club feared the young Brazilian would bring distraction to the Reds dressing room, especially in times that he would have interacted with compatriots Fred and Andreas Pereira. The assumption was the trio would make for a "samba" gathering.
United was also concerned that Neymar was focused on winning the Ballon d'Or instead of working to function as part of the team. And there was this uneasiness about the striker's father, Neymar Snr, who serves as the player's agent and has a reputation of being "money-obsessed."
And what appeared as the biggest turn off for United is the fact that he is not as dedicated in the pattern of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. It's well reported that Neymar loves to party, and he is often seen in the company of A-list celebrities having night outs.
On this, the Brazilian has elected never to apologize, always insisting that his partying is not an issue.
"I really don't see the problem. It's my private life. On the pitch, I always give everything I have ... I have my faults, I'm not perfect," The Sun reported Neymar as saying.
"I like to go out and have fun with my friends. Why shouldn't I go out and party? I don't see why not," he added.
United letting Neymar slip seemed hinted in the recent quip by team manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, according to the Mirror.
"There were strikers available [in the summer] but not the ones we wanted. We couldn't get the one we wanted," Solskjaer said.
