Man Utd ‘had lined up Josip Juranovic for January transfer’ before Aaron Wan-Bissaka pushed his way back into the team

THE fate of the Manchester United right-back could have been in very different hands as United have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Josip Juranovic.

The Union Berlin star left Celtic during the January transfer window after an impressive first half of the season.

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As a result, the Croatia international has been on the radar of some big clubs.

Man Utd’s then-urgent need for a right-back, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka expected to leave in January, set them on this path.

Fabrizio Romano has reported that the Red Devils have a “right-back on hand” in the form of Juranovic, with the 28-year-old being “at the top of the list for backup right-back”.

However, due to Wan-Bissaka’s strong form after the World Cup in the absence of Diogo Dalot, United stuck with the deal.

Erik ten Hag eventually sided with the Englishman to act as Dalot’s understudy for the remainder of the season.

Aside from a glaring mishap against Arsenal – which David De Gea also has in part at his feet – the 25-year-old has proved he has a future at Old Trafford.

Juranovic finally sealed a £10million transfer to the Bundesliga on January 22.

He immediately caused a stir for his new club by recording two assists in as many games – similar to Joao Cancelo, who surprisingly switched to Bayern Munich on loan.

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However, Man Utd have lately signed a star in the form of Bayern’s Marcel Sabitzer.

The Austrian midfielder was loaned out as a direct replacement for Christian Eriksen, who was injured until late April or early May.

Nonetheless, United confirmed a place at Wembley as they beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 [5-0 agg]with the added boost of Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial returning in the Carabao Cup.

Next up is a kick-off against Crystal Palace on Saturday.