Emre Can Says He Snubbed Manchester United for Borussia Dortmund in January

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Emre Can has revealed Manchester United were among the sides to pursue him in January, but he was quick to turn them down. 

The German moved to Dortmund from Juventus, whom he joined from United's bitter rivals Liverpool in 2018.

Can told Kicker (h/t Goal's Josh Thomas):

"I had three offers from the Premier League alone, including from Manchester United, but I didn't think about that for a second because of my Liverpool past.

"I have always had an extreme sympathy for BVB. I wanted to go to a club for which I can be important where I am needed. That's the case in Dortmund. Borussia suits me well—and vice versa."

The midfielder had fallen out of favour in Turin under new manager Maurizio Sarri, who omitted him from Juve's UEFA Champions League squad.

In total, he made just eight appearances under the Italian, of which only two were starts and the longest lasted 72 minutes.

He has already spent 512 minutes on the pitch with BVB, almost double the 279 minutes he played for the Bianconeri in the first half of the campaign.

Can initially joined on loan, but Dortmund have already made his stay permanent, which football writer Zach Lowy observed after he impressed in their 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in February:

He has continued to reward the Bundesliga outfit's faith in him with more strong performances.

Football writers Karl Matchett and Kaustubh Pandey remarked on his efforts after Dortmund's 2-0 win over Werder Bremen and 2-1 victory against Borussia Monchengladbach, respectively:

A midfielder like Can would have been an important asset at Old Trafford.

United allowed Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini to depart the club last year but did not made a move to replace either until January.

Can developed into a strong Premier League player during his time at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp and he's shown the kind of intensity and work rate he offers during his brief spell at Dortmund.

He only turned 26 in January, so he's in his prime, and he's a much more mobile presence in the centre of the pitch than Red Devils' midfielder Nemanja Matic.

Fred has improved after a rocky start at United last season, and Scott McTominay is an exciting prospect, but even after recruiting playmaker Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon in January, another midfielder should be among the Red Devils' priorities this summer.