Sam Mather’s proposed transfer collapsed in the final moments of Friday evening.
A deadline dodo
Linked with a move to Kayserispor in Turkey, the deal couldn’t be finalised before Turkey’s transfer deadline on Friday night.
Mather had been keen to depart Manchester United as he seeks to launch his career at senior level.
Manchester Evening News have revealed that the deal collapsed because “sign-off by the board was required, but the club eventually decided they did not have enough time to facilitate the transfer.”
“The fee and buyback clause were agreed, and it’s understood personal terms were also verbally agreed with the forward,” the report details.
With the details all agreed and just requiring the sign off from Manchester United, Mather will undoubtedly be left frustrated that the move did not make it over the line.
Outgrowing academy football
Kayserispor pushed hard for the signing with Mather attracting interest from Germany and Sweden as well.
Often operating as a left winger, Mather is more of a technical wide 10 in terms of his playstyle.
After impressing on loan at Rochdale in the the 2023/24 season, Mather’s follow up loan at Tranmere Rovers turned into a nightmare.
Limited to just four minutes of playing time across two substitute appearances, the youngster ended up returning to United early to re-join Travis Binnion’s u21s.
The 21 year old has outgrown underage football though, average a goal every 98 minutes last season in the Premier League 2.
It is believed Mather favoured a move abroad to suit his technical playstyle.
A bold move for the youngster as he looks to escape the outcome of falling down the leagues in England, a common occurrence for technical youth players who don’t fit the physical profile of lower league football.
The former England youth international will have to make due with u21s football until at least January now though.
Fortunately for Mather, with the EFL Trophy and National League Cup to compete in, there will at least be some senior opposition to provide him a challenge in the coming months before he can step up to senior football full time.
Featured image Charles McQuillan via Getty Images
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Colm Murphy
A football obsessed Canadian who moved to England to enjoy the beautiful game. Colm has been keen follower of Manchester United’s famed academy since seeing a fresh faced Adnan Januzaj for the club’s u18s and has been writing about football with a focus on youth development for over 10 years.
