Real Madrid star Toni Kroos reveals why he chose Los Blancos over Manchester United 

Real Madrid star Toni Kroos has opened up on how close he really was to sealing a Manchester United transfer over half a decade ago.

Los Blancos' midfield star was in high demand in 2014 and he was prominently linked with a move to Old Trafford. Then-manager David Moyes was keen on signing Kroos for Manchester United, who made their interest known.

There were talks held for the German ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but the move did not materialise. Just days after Die Mannschaft won the most coveted trophy in football, Real Madrid announced the capture of the then-Bayern Munich star.

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Real Madrid interest made him snub Manchester United move, reveals Kroos

Kroos has been a crucial part of Real Madrid's recent success

Speaking on the 2014 summer transfer saga that saw Kroos end up at Real Madrid, the German midfielder explained on the Lauschangriff Podcast;

"Manchester [United] had a lot of interest in me before the [2014] World Cup and a deal was close. Then my agent called me and told me about Real Madrid, and when Real Madrid appear you put Manchester behind them in the line."

Kroos then went on to reveal that Germany manager Joachim Low was also happy about the midfielder's move to Madrid, allowing him to discuss transfer matters during the World Cup. He continued,

"At the World Cup, Joachim Low asked me if I was leaving for Madrid, so I told him about it and he was happy for me to negotiate things during the tournament."

8 - Toni Kroos completed 93.5% of his passes in @LaLigaEN 2019/20 (2336/2184), the best accuracy rate of any player with at least 10 appearances in the competition. Surgeon. #OptaBestXI@realmadriden pic.twitter.com/0YdFHFDQHv

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) July 21, 2020

Since his reported €25m move to Real Madrid, Kroos has gone on to become one of the finest midfielders on the planet. Sitting at the heart of Los Blancos' all-conquering midfield alongside Luka Modric and Casemiro, the German has won praise and honours aplenty.

Kroos played a vital role in Real Madrid's three-peat of UEFA Champions Leagues, also winning two LaLiga Santander titles in the process.

Moyes is currently the head coach of West Ham

On the other hand, Manchester United have remarkably suffered since 2014. Moyes' sacking was followed by the appointments of Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

None of the four managers in total took Manchester United anywhere close to a Premier League title bar Mourinho's impressive 2017/18 season. The Portuguese, however, was sacked less than a year later.

This season in La Liga, Toni Kroos has attempted 127 long passes in open play for Real Madrid with an accuracy of 92.13%. His long pass success is better than the majority of footballers’ normal pass success.Elite-level passer. pic.twitter.com/UYIpdHjjlD

— UtdArena (@utdarena) July 25, 2020

Moyes, in particular, was insistent on signing the Real Madrid metronome back then, and revealed his regret for failing to sign Kroos for Manchester United. When beIN Sports asked him about the player he regrets missing out on the most, the Scot said;

"At that time we were very much after Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas. [But] Toni Kroos would certainly be the one."

It's interesting to think of how the Real Madrid man's career would have panned out if he moved to Manchester United in 2014. It's needless to say that Florentino Perez and co were the biggest benefactors of Kroos' decision as he has played over 277 games for Real Madrid ever since.

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