Ederson insists knee injury was minor as he revisits failed £39m Manchester United move

Ederson has disputed the severity of the knee issue that caused Manchester United to pull out of a £39m agreement to sign him this summer, insisting his physical condition has never been a serious concern.

United had reached a deal to bring the 27-year-old Atalanta midfielder to Old Trafford as a replacement for the departing Casemiro, whose contract expired at the end of last season. Medical examinations, however, revealed a knee problem significant enough for the club to walk away. United subsequently signed Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos, and Carlos Baleba, while Ederson opted to extend his Atalanta contract through to the summer of 2031.

Speaking to Trivela, the Brazil international offered his own account of the situation. “I’m very well, as I’ve always been, actually. Physically, I can’t complain. I’ve always been very blessed in that regard,” he said. “The injuries that affected my call-ups were minor. They kept me out for a few days, and I was just unlucky that they happened very close to the call-ups. That’s why I always came back very quickly. I’ve never had any kind of injury that kept me out for a long time.”

Ederson added that he completed Atalanta’s pre-season preparation without issue and has started all four of their matches so far this campaign. He has also been handed the captaincy at the Bergamo club.

This is the second time Ederson has addressed the collapsed transfer publicly. Speaking previously ahead of Atalanta’s Europa Conference League play-off against Hapoel Tel Aviv, he said he remained in the dark about what ultimately derailed the move. “I honestly don’t know what happened. I always had interest from other clubs, and I could’ve gone to another English side. The tests went well, I don’t know what changed.”

Ederson also revealed that dialogue with Atalanta played a key role in his decision to stay. “I always spoke a lot with the club, I have an excellent relationship here. Whenever this happened, with enquiries and offers, I asked what Atalanta’s intention was, what the project was, whether they were thinking of selling me, and they never thought about selling me.”

The midfielder’s comments leave the two versions of events — United’s medical concerns and Ederson’s own assessment of his fitness — unreconciled, with no further clarification from the club.