Palermo chief Walter Sabatini admits defender Simon Kjaer had hoped for a move to Manchester United.
The Dane is set to join Wolfsburg this week.
Kjaer had been linked with every big club in Europe, including Manchester United, Juve, Milan, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
"I did expect a more prestigious side to make a genuine proposal. Some of his performances in the last few months prompted them to take a step back and in my view that was a mistake.
"Simon should be valued for his qualities and not the mistakes that can be fixed. He made a few errors, but that can happen to all players. He remains very strong, good in the air and quick.
"Let us not forget he is 21 years old and has already played 70 Serie A games. It's not easy to play first team football in a side that qualifies for Europe at that age," said Sabatini.
"I'm sure he'll reach those big clubs soon enough, assuming the Wolfsburg deal is finalised.
"He had hoped for Manchester United or Juventus, but I'm confident he will get those opportunities in the future."
