‘I Agreed a Deal to Join Man Utd – But I Changed my Mind Because of One Person’

David Moyes was relieved of his duties at Manchester United back in April 2014, after a difficult 10 months at Old Trafford. The Scotsman had taken over from the dynastic reign of Sir Alex Ferguson, and left the Red Devils stranded well below the Champions League places.

Deemed a harsh dismissal by many, Moyes will likely argue that he wasn’t backed sufficiently in the transfer market, after inheriting a squad that may have won the league the previous season, but had done so by performing at the absolute outer limits of its capabilities. The sole senior summer addition of Marouane Fellaini and the January signing of Juan Mata was certainly not enough to begin to rebuild an ageing squad.

The maligned head coach was forced to utilise the likes of Tom Cleverley and Phil Jones on a consistent basis, with the midfield contingent a particularly weak area of Moyes’ ensemble. Cleverley was supported by a 32-year-old Michael Carrick and a Wayne Rooney deployed in the middle of the park for the first time in his career.

Had Moyes been granted another transfer window, another opportunity to strengthen the engine room, then perhaps his fortunes at United may have taken an upward turn. The former Everton manager would’ve been deflated to have lost his job after supposedly agreeing a deal to sign a world-class 24-year-old deep-lying playmaker in Toni Kroos, who has revealed that he was set to complete a move to the north-west before Moyes’ sacking.

Kroos Says He Changed His Mind Over United Move

The midfielder didn’t want to play under Van Gaal

Developing through Bayern Munich’s academy, Kroos broke into the German giants’ first team during the 2007/08 season, but firmly established himself as a regular at the Allianz Arena two years later. One of the key pillars behind Bayern’s 2013 Champions League triumph, and then Germany’s 2014 World Cup success, the midfield metronome was one of the most sought after midfielders in world football 10 years ago.

Just months before travelling to Brazil to take part in the prestigious international tournament, Kroos was on the lookout for a move away from his home country, eager for a fresh challenge at a top European club. United were said to be monitoring him, and the German and his representatives went to meet Moyes to discuss a potential move, a matter of weeks before the end of the 2013/14 season.

After several rounds of talks, a consensus was reached between the two parties, and thus Kroos’ move to United was all but done. However, speaking on his podcast, Einfach mal luppen, the former Bayer Leverkusen loanee revealed how the prospective move ultimately collapsed:

“Before signing for for Real Madrid in 2014, I had an agreement with Manchester United. They sacked David Moyes , who I was still sitting with on my sofa in Munich. It was very nice for him to be sitting in our house with his wife. Then they hired Van Gaal and we both politely declined.”

Kroos’ words suggest he certainly wasn’t keen on reuniting with his former boss, who he had worked with at Bayern a few years prior. After breaking through into the first team and threatening the senior regulars’ positions in southern Germany, Louis Van Gaal’s arrival coincided with Kroos being shipped out on loan to Leverkusen. When returning to his parent club, the Dutch coach showed a reluctance to use the exceptional passer frequently during the 2010/11 season, a campaign that saw Bayern fail to win the Bundesliga title which led to Van Gaal being fired.

With success ultimately not ensuing under Van Gaal’s stern and polarizing stewardship, United may be ruing the decision to dismiss Moyes. The Premier League side missed out on one of the generation’s great midfielders plying his trade for several years in the north-west, and potentially forming a formidable partnership with Carrick.

Kroos Enjoyed an Illustrious Career

He won six Champions Leagues

Several weeks after the deal with United fell apart, Carlo Ancelotti called Kroos during the 2014 World Cup, and convinced him to swap Munich for Madrid, joining Real in a deal believed to be in the region of £20 million. While Kroos had already established himself as one of the world’s best, he reached the upper echelons in regard to his status in football history during his time with Los Blancos.Winning a record six Champions Leagues in total, Kroos became the heartbeat of Real Madrid’s midfield for a generation, making 465 appearances in an illustrious spell at the Bernabeu. Described as one of the best passers in football history, just imagine what Moyes might have been capable of assembling had it been Kroos dictating play in United’s midfield, rather than Cleverley and Fellaini.