England youth international Malcolm Ebiowei has turned down a move to Manchester United despite attempts from manager Erik ten Hag to sway the youngster with a text.
Ebiowei, who turns 19 in September, has been in high demand after impressing under Wayne Rooney at Derby County. However, despite Ten Hag's efforts, the winger has opted to move to Crystal Palace.
The youngster will be reunited with former Derby teammate Luke Plange at Selhurst Park, after the forward joined Patrick Vieira's side in January but finished the season on loan at Pride Park. And the move sees Vieira add further English talent to his young squad after defensive duo Marc Guehi and Tyrick Mitchell earned their first caps for the Three Lions in 2022.
According to The Sun, Ten Hag sent Ebiowei a text attempting to convince him to join the Red Devils. United assistant coach Steve McClaren also reached out to the youngster, having got to know Ebiowei during his time as technical director and advisor at Derby.
However, the same report notes that Dougie Freedman, the former Palace striker who now works as the club's sporting director, went to great lengths to get his man. Freedman is said to have met Ebiowei multiple times before any deal was agreed, before showing up at the player's door for the medical and signing.
Vieira has spoken highly of former Scotland international Freedman, who played a part in Palace signing the likes of Guehi, Michael Olise and 2021-22 loanee Conor Gallagher. “This is one of the strengths of the football club: the Sporting Director who played at a high level, who understands the game, who understands the club and understands the demands of the fans,” the manager told club media in April.
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The Ebiowei news comes as United's wait for a first summer signing continues. Premier League title contenders Manchester City and Liverpool have already made statement moves - for Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez respectively - but Ten Hag has yet to make his first recruit.
Frenkie de Jong remains high on the new manager's list, with United still looking to reach an agreement with Barcelona over a fee for the former Ajax star. A new goalkeeper is also expected to arrive, with Dean Henderson off to Nottingham Forest on loan, and Watford's Daniel Bachmann is reportedly the leading contender on that front.
Man Utd will begin their Premier League campaign against Brighton & Hove Albion on August 7, but have plenty of pre-season games to come before then. One of those fixtures could give Ebiowei a chance to show United what they're missing, with Palace taking on Ten Hag's side in Australia in July.
