Former Leeds United and France midfielder Olivier Dacourt has warned Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri against moving to Manchester United over the transfer window.
The Ivorian midfielder, who claimed the award for best African player in France last season, came close to joining Barcelona last summer, only for the move to fall through.
He only has 18 months left on his contract and a release clause of £35m, prompting the likes of Man United and Manchester City into expressing keen interest in his services.
But Dacourt, speaking in an interview with Bwin, noted that Seri should think twice before joining such a huge club.
“He almost went to Barcelona, but he did not leave,” he said. “The problem with those quality players is that they are very good in major French clubs but now we are talking about big foreign clubs.”
“Because of the competition in the big foreign clubs, it is necessary to see how they behave – personality is not enough.
“The point is not to go to the big club, it’s to play there. A good example is Bernardo Silva. Last year he had an extraordinary season with Monaco – at Manchester City he has more trouble.”
The difficult transition from France to England cannot be underestimated. Tiemoue Bakayoko, for example, played a fundamental role in AS Monaco’s Lique 1 triumph last season but was literally too slow to compete with Watford’s midfield on Monday. Bernardo Silva is likewise struggling to get a game.
But Seri cannot afford to simply languish in France. Any good player wants to test himself and his anger at being denied a move to Barcelona shows that he believes in his ability to thrive at a higher level.
That belief can go a long way. Just look at what Paul Pogba did at Juventus, for instance. And you sense the pair would compliment each other nicely at Old Trafford, with Seri adding an extra dimension of energy and efficiency whilst the Frenchman impacts games further forward.