Manchester United finished in the 2nd spot in the Premier League last term. The Red Devils were a whopping 19 points behind rivals Manchester City. It was a surprising finish from United, considering their performances were below par.

United often struggled in front of goal, as their attackers put up inconsistent displays throughout the campaign. Romelu Lukaku was their top scorer with 16 goals in the league.

Recent reports suggested that Manchester United were tracking Anderson Talisca. However, the player has completed a loan move to join Guangzhou Evergrande and it goes without saying that the Red Devils have narrowly missed a bullet.

Although Talisca is a great player, he would have been surplus to requirements at Old Trafford. The Brazilian moved to Benfica in 2014, but has been on loan with Besiktas since 2016, making 55 appearances for them and scoring 27 goals in the process.

With players like Alexis Sanchez, Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Anthony Martial already at hand, Talisca would have struggled for game time.

Now, a move to the Red Devils would have been a dream come true for the Brazilian but the player needs to prioritize game time over everything else. Having to resort to a place on the bench is unacceptable for someone like Talisca and hence, it makes sense that he has joined the Chinese side on loan.

Mourinho has already dipped his hand into the market and signed Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk. The Brazilian midfielder has been their biggest signing in the current transfer window, meaning Mourinho has added yet another option to United’s already crammed midfield options.

The addition of Fred will further place doubts upon Talisca’s role in the squad. Hence, it is great to see the player join a club that will offer him a solid chance of developing his career to the next level.