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 forwards, that role would be redundant at Old Trafford.

United's interest in the teenager was purely as another striking option for Amorim. Had he moved to Old Trafford, he would be getting games now, with Rasmus Hojlund scoring only once since Tel arrived in the Premier League. However, his record at Spurs hardly suggests he would have had a transformative effect on this team.

Had Joshua Zirkzee not suffered a season-ending hamstring injury last week, Tel might have had even less of a role to play. Zirkzee was enjoying an encouraging 2025 until that injury blow.

With Hojlund now the only striker registered for the Europa League campaign, 17-year-old Chido Obi will continue to get chances in the Premier League. Accelerating the Dane's development is a better use of United's resources than playing 19-year-old Tel, especially if Obi can kick on and play a squad role next season.

But while United shouldn't be cursing themselves for missing out on Tel, there is a potential sting in the tail. The teenager had seven shots against United in the 1-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in February without ever looking like scoring, but another chance could await him.

Should United beat Athletic Bilbao and Spurs see off Bodo/Glimt, the Premier League strugglers will meet in the Europa League final, with the salvation of a trophy and qualification for the Champions League on the line.

The glass-half-full brigade might already be fearing the worst. It would sum up United's season if it was Tel who came back to haunt them.

Until then, he can hardly be considered the one who got away in January