Nobody is ever likely to forget the Bayer Leverkusen side that so nearly went the entirety of the 2023/24 season unbeaten.
After winning their maiden Bundesliga title at a canter, winning 28 and drawing six of their 34 matches, Xabi Alonso’s team had every right to feel confident about their chances of winning the Europa League as well. However, a hat-trick from Ademola Lookman sentenced them to their first defeat of the season in their penultimate game of it, securing Atalanta their first-ever European trophy.
Despite that crushing blow in Dublin, Leverkusen responded three days later by beating FC Kaiserslautern 1-0 in the DFB-Pokal final, meaning they ended the season with 43 victories and two trophies to their name. Alonso had suddenly become the most coveted coach in Europe.
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Leverkusen’s success across all fronts last season was a team effort. Countless players produced the season of their careers, reflected by the fact five of them got into double figures for goals.
One member of that quintet was former Manchester City academy product Jeremie Frimpong, who scored 14 goals across all competitions. Only Florian Wirtz (18) and Victor Boniface (21) scored more than him.
Arriving at Leverkusen from Celtic in January 2021 having played almost all of his senior football as a right-back, the prospect of getting into double figures in a single season must never have crossed the Netherlands international’s mind. However, he was moulded into an attack-minded wing-back by Alonso.
The 23-year-old has been transformed into one of the best wing-backs in the world under his coaching methods, just years after he was left wondering what the future would hold for him after being informed by City that he had no future at the Etihad Stadium.
Speaking to SportBible earlier this year, Frimpong said: “I kept playing [an age group] down and I think when I was under-23s at City, I remember going in for a new contract and that’s when I knew my path at City was different.
“They were talking about how I couldn’t get into the team and were comparing me to other players in the academy that were doing better than me. I thought, ‘Yeah, I clearly don’t have a future here,’ so I’ve got to take a different step.
“I remember going to that meeting and he was saying, ‘You’re too small’ and it’ll be too physical. That’s when I was thinking, ‘Oh s***, where am I going to go?’.”
The answer was Celtic. He moved to the Glasgow club in September 2019, signing a four-year deal. However, he made his mark so quickly in Scotland that he moved to Germany less than two years later, joining Leverkusen, who were under the stewardship of Peter Bosz at the time.
It was under Alonso, appointed Leverkusen chief in October 2022, that Frimpong started to blossom. He ended the 2022/23 season with 20 direct goal contributions to his name, 16 of which were registered after Alonso’s appointment.
The 2023/24 campaign – Alonso’s first full season in charge – saw Frimpong reach loftier heights. In addition to his 14 goals, he also registered 12 assists, playing starring role in Leverkusen’s league and cup double.
However, long before that period in Frimpong’s career, Manchester United had already touched base with his representatives, speaking to them ahead of the 2023 summer transfer window. United, as Frimpong’s outstanding 2023/24 campaign unfolded, kept tabs on him and mulled over the prospect of moving for him in the 2024 summer window.
Performing so well in Germany at the time, United supporters purred at the prospect of him being signed by Erik ten Hag. He was in the form of his life, cementing himself as the best wing-back in the world at that juncture.
He reportedly had a £33.5million release clause in his contract that would be active until mid-July. That made swooping for him ahead of this season all the more tempting.
Of course, no move ever came to fruition, meaning Frimpong is still residing in Germany, continuing to play a key role for Leverkusen. In truth, signing the soon-to-be 24-year-old would have made little sense in the summer.
United had made the decision to stick with Ten Hag, who played with a back-four, and Frimpong is a wing-back. He would have been wasted as a natural right-back.
However, had new United head coach Ruben Amorim been appointed in the summer, moving for Frimpong would have made every sense. The recently appointed 39-year-old, who will take charge of the Reds for the first time this weekend, is expected to implement his trademark 3-4-3 formation at Old Trafford.
The system relies on wing-backs to provide width and support the attackers. Frimpong would be tailor-made for the role, such is the way Alonso has evolved his individual game in Germany.
Not the strongest or most convincing defensively, he is much better when attacking, hence his tally of 26 direct goal contributions last season. When he goes forward, the right-sided centre-back slides across to cover any big gaps he leaves exposed.
Under Amorim, United are expected to play with a similar blueprint, with the wing-backs poised to be key to the system that is set to be implemented. Frimpong is rapid, meaning he is capable of getting up and down the pitch, even if his primary responsibility is to attack.
Scoring one goal and registering six assists in 16 games so far this season, Frimpong is still proving to be a creative source for Leverkusen, once again causing problems from the right side of the pitch.
Had Amorim been in situ at United in the summer, signing Frimpong should have been a primary mission. Under Ten Hag, however, signing him would not have made any sense.
