- Manchester City offered £7million to take Cengiz Under from Basaksehir
- Legendary talent spotter Monchi convinced the Turkey starlet to move to Roma
- He has six in his last nine and faces Barcelona in Champions League last eight
Cengiz Under has revealed how he rejected the chance to sign for Manchester City to take on the challenge of replacing Mohamed Salah at Roma.
City offered £7million when Under left Super Lig club Basaksehir last summer but legendary talent spotter Monchi convinced the Turkey starlet to follow Salah’s path.
The 20-year-old has responded by delivering an exciting first season in Italy, with six goals in his last nine appearances and has helped Roma into the last eight of the Champions League where they will face Barcelona.
Cengiz Under rejected the chance to sign for Manchester City to join Roma last summer
City offered £7million when Turkish starlet Under left Super Lig club Basaksehir
‘I got an offer from Manchester City, but I did not agree,’ said Under, in an interview with Turkish magazine Spor Arena Plus.
‘Rome offered me a project and the attitude of the coach and the club to me was important.
‘With the sale of Salah, the squad became more suitable for me.
‘Monchi is a very big name and very successful, and I can feel he trusts me, and he says I can be a very important player for Roma’s future.’
Legendary talent spotter Monchi convinced the Turkey starlet to follow Mohamed Salah’s path
Under told how he studied footage of Lionel Messi.
‘Messi is special to me,’ he said, ahead of Roma’s quarter-final clash with Barcelona.
‘He is the best player in the world and I grew up watching the videos of Messi.’
The 20-year old has excelled in Italy and faces Barcelona in the Champions League last eight
Under also picked his best World XI: Alisson Becker, Dani Alves, Sergio Ramos, Thiago Silva, Marcelo, Modric, David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, Salah, Messi, Ronaldo.
Advertisement