Man Utd let perfect player slip away and Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a big fan

Manchester United may have missed out on signing the perfect right-sided attacker by failing to sign Michael Olise.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe orchestrated a major rebuild of his squad over the summer, with marquee signings arriving at both ends of the pitch. Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Leny Yoro were all signed to provide quality in defence, with Manuel Ugarte arriving to provide an alternative option in midfield.

United were keen to shake up their frontline as well, with Joshua Zirkzee being signed from Bologna to provide an alternative No. 9 option. However, the Red Devils failed in their bid to bring in another winger despite the departure of Jadon Sancho to Chelsea.

Heading into the summer transfer window, several wingers were linked with a move to Old Trafford, especially Olise. The then-Crystal Palace star was largely regarded as INEOS' top target and he was lined up to be the first arrival under the new ownership.

However, a deal never materialised and Bayern Munich acted quickly to activate his release clause, fending off interest from United, Newcastle and Chelsea to secure his signature.

Their decisive action in the market has already bore fruit for Vincent Kompany's side as well, as Olise has taken to life in the Bundesliga like a duck to water and is already proving his talent on the European stage as well.

The Frenchman opened his account for Bayern over the weekend as he helped his side to a 6-1 victory over Holstein Kiel. The versatile winger then made it a few days to remember by shining in the Champions League.

Olise bagged a brace in Bayern's sensational 9-2 victory over Dinamo Zagreb, with his sensational performance making him the first Frenchman since Thierry Henry in 1997 to score twice on his Champions League debut.

At this rate, Olise will very quickly look like Bayern secured a bargain to snap him up for £50.8million including add-ons.

In contrast, United will certainly feel that the fee was one worth paying in hindsight, especially as Erik ten Hag is still struggling to settle on his first-choice forward line. Olise would surely have stepped straight into it had they put up the cash for him.