Kim Min-jae may have given Manchester United a reason not to sign him

Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae may have inadvertently given Manchester United a reason not to sign him.

Erik ten Hag could well be interested in bringing in further reinforcements in central defence either in the January or summer transfer window. One player to have been linked with a move to Old Trafford is Kim, who joined Napoli from Fenerbahce this summer.

Reports in Italy suggest that the centre-back has a release clause of around €50million which can only be activated by foreign clubs. It is understood that United are one of the teams that would be happy to activate the clause, however, the Reds may need to think twice if rumours of their interest are true.

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In a recent interview, Kim explained some of the weaknesses in his game that he needs to improve. "I have many shortcomings and I still need to learn and improve: I focused on how to do it and I tried to do exactly what the coach asked me," he told Tribal Football.

"It is difficult to move into a great league and play, but I thought I had to adapt unconditionally. My teammates helped me a lot and they are all very good. I realised that if I couldn't keep up I wouldn't play.

"The most difficult opponent? [Olivier] Giroud. He has great qualities as a centre-forward and physical strength. To mark him you have to be focused and hold the position for 90 minutes."

Kim's difficulties facing powerful strikers like Giroud could be laid bare if he was to move to the Premier League. Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez are notably strong strikers plying their trade in England but the division is now becoming packed full of these types of players. Lisandro Martinez learnt this tough lesson when he came up against