Nuno Mendes shone for PSG against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday – despite ending up on the losing side.
The Portugal international kept Mohamed Salah quiet inside the Parc des Princes – leading Arne Slot to actually withdraw the Egypt international – which is quite the achievement, seeing as the Liverpool No.11 has scored 30 goals and provided 22 assists in 40 games across all competitions so far this season.
Throughout the 90 minutes, the PSG No.25 won all 11 of his ground duels – still managing to complete all three of his attempted dribbles too – while registering a pass success rate of 89% and two clearances.
A defensive masterclass by Nuno Mendes 🇵🇹🔥 pic.twitter.com/Sb5t7Cah8U
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) March 5, 2025
With Nuno Mendes in the spotlight, let’s take a look at what he said when asked about joining Manchester United back in 2020.
Nuno Mendes teased Manchester United move and admitted he would like to follow the path of Cristiano Ronaldo
While shining at Sporting CP before his eventual £34m move to PSG in May 2022, the Portuguese defender told A Bola (via HITC) that he is a fan of the Premier League when asked about links to Manchester United.
Mendes said: “I like the Premier League. My agents are in charge of this, whom I trust a lot. I have the ambition to get to where Ronaldo and Messi are.”
As aforesaid, the 22-year-old ended up moving to PSG in May 2022 for a sum of £34m – a deal which now feels like a complete and utter bargain for the French giants.
Manchester United tried to sign Nuno Mendes in January
As Ruben Amorim searched for a natural left wing-back to fit his 3-4-3 formation, Manchester United actually looked at signing the Portuguese sensation in the winter transfer window just gone.
This is Nuno Mendes’ first goal of the season 🇵🇹👏 pic.twitter.com/kZKO3EluYh
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) October 6, 2024
TBR Football understand Manchester United targeted Mendes before eventually sealing a £25m move to sign Patrick Dorgu from Lecce instead, after it became apparent the man from Sintra would not be leaving Paris.
Mendes swiftly signed a new contract at PSG – which runs until 2029 – so any club hoping to sign the formidable defender between now and then will surely have to pay an immense sum of money.
