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Former Manchester United player Shola Shoretire revealed exactly what pushed him to leave the club for PAOK.
With Man United set to face PAOK Salonika in the UEFA Europa League tonight, Shoretire gave an inside look at the thinking behind his fateful decision.
Speaking to The Athletic, the former United winger revealed: “People who look at me from the outside might think I’ve failed because I came through the academy but didn’t establish myself in the first team, but I don’t see it like that at all. I was much better for spending all that time at United, but it was time to move on.”
Shoretire explained that he entered into discussions with United over a new contract. While the club offered him a contract, he stated that he was also given the option to leave for free if he decided to allow his contract to lapse.
“I felt that, having made my debut at 17, I was better at making a fresh start at 20. I wasn’t involved in the first-team setup at United as much as I’d hoped and I just wanted to play regular first-team football in a good team,” the 20 year old explained.
“I had options in the Championship, Spain and Greece. I saw that PAOK were Greek champions and would play European football. I was sent a video by a mate of the PAOK fans when they won the league last season. It looked crazy — in a good way. They’re incredibly passionate and you can feel that on and off the pitch.”
Apart from the opportunity to play in a new league and enjoy European football, Shoretire’s decision also came as a result of a desire to experience personal growth outside of football.
“I also spoke to players who’d moved abroad, and they said it’s good for you as a person; I’ve seen that already living by myself for the first time. I cook every day: rice, pasta dishes usually. My dad taught me well,” the PAOK player explained.
Aside from revealing his reason for making the move, Shoretire also spoke about the connections he made at United before his departure.
“Kobbie [Mainoo] is the player I keep in touch with most from United, and I’m proud of him, but I’ve seen so many players who I played with go on to have good careers: Angel Gomes, James Garner, Anthony Elanga, Teden Mengi, Hannibal. There are loads of other top players who I’m sure will do well in time. I learned from them all,” Shoretire revealed.
For Shoretire, life at United was rewarding due to the wealth of knowledge he acquired from more experienced players. “I was training with the first team, and there were good, experienced players like Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic. They took me under their wing.”
He also responded to a question about whether the managerial changes that happened while he was at United had an impact on the opportunities that lay before him, to which Shoretire responded by explaining that it was rather competition that caused him to miss out on certain chances.
Asked whether he felt he deserved more chances, Shoretire humbly replied, “I don’t want to say deserved because that was up to the coaches. I just had to give 100 per cent in training. Maybe a bigger factor was playing in my position. Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes were in my position and played every game. But that’s football; I couldn’t let it get to me. I just had to know my worth as a player and know when it was time to move on. I would have loved to have played more, but I wasn’t angry or frustrated.”
With Shoretire set to join his team in their trip to United, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team will be hoping to use their knowledge of Shoretire’s gameplay to stop him and PAOK in their tracks in an effort to win a crucial three points.
This match will certainly be an important test for United and, more specifically, Van Nistelrooy, being the team’s last match before the international break and the arrival of new permanent manager Ruben Amorim.
