Man Utd benefit from falling out as €50m wonderkid threatens to quit

Said El Mala is growing increasingly frustrated with his situation at Koln, putting Premier League suitors, including Manchester United, on red alert.

The 19-year-old has been one of the biggest revelations of the current Bundesliga season. El Mala starred for Germany’s U21 at the Euros in the summer and has carried his form over to the club level, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in his first top-flight season.

As a result, transfer speculation has been rampant. The teenager was the subject of a sizeable bid from Brighton in the summer, but Koln turned the offer down in the knowledge that El Mala’s value would skyrocket this term.

The Seagulls remain interested, while Bayern, Chelsea and Man Utd have also been associated with a move for the tricky winger. Koln are hoping to receive around €50 million for their wonderkid.

However, the youngster’s fairytale debut season is threatening to turn sour. According to BILD’s print edition, El Mala is growing increasingly frustrated with his situation at Koln.

El Mala could quit Koln

The German tabloid claims that El Mala’s relationship with head coach Lukas Kwasniok has turned frosty. The 44-year-old has been very protective of the teenager, but the player now feels that the coach’s behaviour has become overbearing.

Kwasniok has repeatedly tried to keep a lid on the hype surrounding El Mala, publicly stating that the 19-year-old still has a lot to learn before he can become a guaranteed starter.

While this was a somewhat understandable thing to say in the early stages of the season, El Mala now feels that he is having his wings clipped. He is no longer on the same wavelength with his coach regarding his development.

He has shown quite clearly that he is the most talented and reliable attacker in Koln’s squad, and he is arguably the German outfit’s most promising prospect since the emergence of club legend Lukas Podolski in the early 2000s.

A few weeks ago, Kwasniok suggested that El Mala doesn’t do enough defensively to warrant a starting spot, which caused huge consternation in the player’s camp. The winger, on the contrary, believes that he does more than enough defensive work for an attacking player.

El Mala has only started nine times in the Bundesliga so far. His frustration goes beyond sporting matters, though. There have also been more minor issues, such as jokes from the coach not landing or being misunderstood, that have led to cracks in their relationship.

El Mala, it is claimed, informed Koln’s hierarchy of this state of affairs during the January window and concluded that he would be looking to leave the club in the summer if the situation does not improve. A clear-the-air discussion between the player and the coach is clearly needed.

Nevertheless, the youngster is trying to remain professional. He does not want to kick up a fuss and will respect the coach’s decisions, even if he does not understand them.

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