The Oxford English Dictionary defines F.O.M.O., or "Fear Of Missing Out," as, "Anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on social media."
But this peculiarly millennial angst can seep into Premier League football clubs too. It is possible to imagine Jose Mourinho sat in darkened room at the weekend, pain in his eyes and unspent banknotes weighing heavily in his pocket, as he watched Neymar's sparkling debut for Paris Saint-Germain—in which he scored once and generally looked like one of the world's best players, if not one worth €222 million ($261 million),
Mourinho reportedly tried to sign Neymar this summer from Barcelona, and that is not all: on The Transfer Podcast, journalist Duncan Castles also reveals that United made approaches for Antoine Griezmann and Gareth Bale.
"Antoine Griezmann he [Mourinho] tried to get, Neymar he was involved in trying to persuade to come to Manchester United, he's tried to get Gareth Bale," Castles said, quoted by the Daily Star.
"He obviously sees that Man Utd need more of that if he's to make them what he's expected to—contenders for the Champions League."
Griezmann remains an Atletico Madrid player, while Bale is still at Real Madrid. Mourinho beat Chelsea to the signing of Romelu Lukaku to fill his need for a striker, and the Belgian has made a prolific start to his United career.
Still, it's instructive to learn a little more of Mourinho's plans this summer. Clearly, he still sees United's left wing as a problem area. Neymar is clearly now off limits and a Bale transfer is probably unachievable too, at least this summer. But don't be surprised to see United active in the last two weeks of the transfer window, as Mourinho tries to avoid missing out on any more invitations to parties.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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