Premier League star’s sister confirms 11th-hour hijack from Man United was attempted to stop him signing for Vila

Just before Amadou Onana put pen to paper on a five-year deal with Aston Villa last summer, Manchester United tried their luck in bringing him to Old Trafford instead.Indeed, the midfielder had impressed so much throughout his Everton tenure that he had found himself on the shortlist of a host of top clubs, including Villa and United.However, the latter’s interest was established far too late, allowing Villa to open and close negotiations as swiftly as possible before getting the green light to put the wheels in motion on Onana’s arrival.United missed out on Amadou Onana in 2024(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)A £50 million deal was eventually agreed with the Toffees, whose arms were begrudingly twisted into sanctioning his exit permanently.That same window, United pursued a late swoop for Paris Saint-Germain wantaway Manuel Ugarte, who subsequently made the switch to Manchester for a similar fee.Certain fans would’ve much rather had Onana in Ruben Amorim’s ranks over the last two seasons instead of the Uruguayan international, although his injury record has left much to be desired at Villa Park.The 24-year-old has been unavailable due to injury for a total of 23 games in his Villa career, including seven this campaign alone. As a result, he’s been limited to 43 appearances under Unai Emery.Onana’s agent provides insight on United hijack(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)Onana’s sister and agent, Melissa, has detailed how United’s 11th-hour approach played out a year ago, telling Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri (via Walfoot): “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.”She continued: “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.”