German legend Toni Kroos has revealed how close he came to joining Manchester United, but the deal fell through when manager David Moyes was sacked while negotiations continued. Moyes had been hand-picked to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford after his departure in 2013.
The former Everton manager had a tumultuous time at United and was ultimately sacked after just 10 months in charge. However, even before his departure, the Scottish player was actively seeking reinforcements for his squad. Signing Kroos, widely considered among the elite midfielders of his era, would be a significant signing for United. The German international was just 24 years old at the time and was part of a trade with Bayern Munich.
According to reports, he could be ready for a move to the Premier League under manager Moyes. However, Kroos’ career path took a dramatically different direction when United’s decision to sack Moyes was communicated as he sat with the midfielder.
In an interview with SPORT1, Kroos said: “Before I signed with Real Madrid, I had already agreed with Manchester United in 2014, which would have meant a transfer from Bayern to United. But they got rid of David Moyes, who I was still on the couch with in Munich, and hired Louis van Gaal. Then we gratefully left.”
Kroos joined Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid side and amassed an impressive list of trophies, including five Champions Leagues, five Club World Cups, four UEFA Super Cups, four La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and four Spanish Super Cups.
But Kroos was not the only big-name player to escape Moyes’ reach. The former West Ham manager also missed out on the signings of Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas during his time at United.
“When I first joined United, my real target was Gareth Bale,” Moyes said in 2016. “I always felt that Gareth Bale was a Manchester United player, so I fought to get him[from Tottenham]until the last moment.”
“In fact, we offered him a bigger contract than Real Madrid, but Gareth was determined to go to Madrid, but in my mind he was the player I really wanted.
“The other one I was very close to signing was Cesc Fabregas, who I thought I could get (from Barcelona) until the last moment. And Sir Alex (Ferguson) said there was always a chance that Cristiano Ronaldo could come back from Real Madrid.”
