Man United shouldn't regret Tottenham transfer failure despite potential Europa League nightmare

Mathys Tel was an in-demand striker in January. The Bayern Munich forward was being chased by two Premier League clubs desperate for a goalscorer to reignite their stuttering campaign.

In the end, Manchester United's refusal to pay Bayern Munich £5million to help develop the 19-year-old swung the balance of power towards Tottenham, who also had an option to make the move permanent for £45million.

That final part of the deal is moot now. Spurs won't stump up £45million for a player who has underperformed and Tel is likely to return to Bayern ahead of a potential permanent exit in the summer. That Old Trafford won't be a possible destination underlines why there was no great desire to overpay in January to use him for six months.

United will sign a striker on a permanent deal this summer, with Liam Delap, Viktor Gyokeres and Victor Osimhen all under consideration. Tel won't make the shortlist.

His 12 appearances for Tottenham, of which eight have been starts, have produced three goals and zero assists. One of the goals was a penalty. That Spurs remain below United in the Premier League table - prior to their Monday night clash with Nottingham Forest - shows that the fury many fans felt when Tel opted for North London instead was overplayed.

His goals have come against Aston Villa, Southampton (penalty) and Wolves and maybe his greatest use now will be playing in dead-rubber Premier League fixtures while Ange Postecoglou's first-choice attack gets a rest ahead of the Europa League semi-final with Bodo/Glimt.

Tel did play 78 minutes of last week's impressive win in Frankfurt, and his work off the ball was praised that night. However, he was used as a winger, and given Ruben Amorim's 3-4-2-1 system doesn't require wide