Manchester United have been told they were “wrong” to believe that Sporting would buckle under pressure and agree to part with Bruno Fernandes for less than his full asking price.
The Red Devils spent much of the January transfer window trying to put a deal in place for the Portugal international midfielder.
Eventually an agreement was reached, with the 25-year-old moving to Old Trafford as part of a €55 million (£47m/$60m) package.
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A protracted saga saw United forced to dig deep in order to get their man, with Sporting making it clear that they would not be relaxing their stance.