In his search for a midfielder on Deadline Day, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reportedly turned down four big names before completing the late signing of Marcel Sabitzer.
On Tuesday afternoon, it was confirmed by the Red Devils that Christian Eriksen would be out until at least the end of April due to an injury sustained in their FA Cup match against Reading on the weekend.
Read: All of Deadline Day's biggest confirmed moves!
Once the injury lay-off was announced, United went looking for a short-term replacement, with it being later confirmed that Sabitzer had been signed by the Premier League side.
However, prior to the Bayern Munich star agreeing to join Ten Hag's team on loan for the rest of the season, it appears there were other options on the table.
Per Sky Sports, United were swamped with offers to take players off other teams' books, and four high-profile stars were turned down.
The players in question were former Real Madrid star Isco, Atletico Madrid's Saul Niguez and Yannick Carrasco, and Olympique Lyon's Houssem Aouar.
The former was initially set to join Union Berlin, but once that deal fell through, Isco's agent offered the player's services to United, who declined.
Read: OFFICIAL: Man Utd sign Eriksen 'replacement'
Carrasco did not fit the mould Ten Hag was searching for, while Niguez's struggle to impress on loan at Chelsea last season may have played a role in United's decision to turn down the chance to sign him.
It is understood that by the time Aouar was offered to the Red Devils, they had already decided that Sabitzer was their man and had already made serious progress in their eventual signing of the Austria international.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH: