Pogba is said to have deprived Arnautovic of his Old Trafford deal. Why didn’t Manchester United buy him?

Marko Arnautovic is proving this season that he can be a very good and dangerous striker when everything falls into place. Not so long ago, he was proving that in the Premier League. He even had his sights set on a Manchester United deal, but it never came to fruition.

The thirty-three-year-old native of Vienna already boasts a very respectable career. Of course, it could have been even better, but Marko Arnautovic has made a name for himself in Europe. Especially with his performances for Stoke City and West Ham.

It was expected that he would head to a more famous address from the London club after two seasons in which he netted 21 goals and added 12 assists. Alternatively, he would continue to build his legacy at the Hammers. But instead, he left for China.

Yet by all accounts, he wasn’t far away from a move to a bigger club. At least, that’s what he revealed in a recent interview with Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

Arnautovic was reportedly a big transfer target of Jose Mourinho, who was then in charge of Manchester United. “He wanted me when I was at West Ham. He asked me how much I was worth. But Manchester brought in Paul Pogba and didn’t have enough money for me,” says the Austrian.

Mourinho, meanwhile, knew the controversial striker from Inter Milan, where Arnautovic celebrated a legendary treble under the Portuguese strategist in 2010. However, it cannot be said that he contributed to it himself. The Portuguese had a problem with his character and mentality.

It is worth mentioning then that Arnautovic has been linked with a move to Old Trafford even now in the summer when Manchester United were looking for a quick replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo. Bologna, however, refused to sell him.

And the Italian outfit cannot be surprised. Arnautovic is a key player, last season he scored 14 goals in 33 league games, in the current one he has already scored 8 times in 13 duels.

Source: Gazzetta dello Sport, Transfermarkt