Toni Kroos ‘agreed to join Manchester United’ after David Moyes persuaded him and his family
A deal to sign Kroos collapsed and he later went on to join Real Madrid - where he has enjoyed plenty of success
TONI KROOS agreed to join Manchester United from Bayern Munich in 2013 but the transfer collapsed, David Moyes has revealed.
Moyes, who endured a miserable 10-month tenure at Old Trafford before being sacked in April 2014, identified Kroos as one of his top transfer targets after taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson.
Marouane Fellaini, who Moyes worked with at Everton, ended up being the only signing he managed to get over the line in his first and only summer transfer window.
Reflecting on the missed opportunity and how close the Red Devils came to signing World Cup winner Kroos, Moyes told : “Toni Kroos had agreed to come Manchester United with me.
"I met him and his wife and we agreed it all when he was at Bayern Munich."
Instead Kroos, 28, joined Real Madrid in July 2014 and has since established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world.
Moyes reveals he would consider USA job
BY PHIL THOMAS
DAVID MOYES would consider becoming an international boss — if the right job in the Premier League does not come up.
Moyes has taken time out after his six-month rescue act saved West Ham from the drop last season, yet is now keen to get back into management.
He has already been linked with the USA national job, with Dave Sarachan currently the interim chief, and has also been tipped for the Scotland job.
He admitted: “I would have to consider the USA job if I was approached because it’s one of the big nations in world football, with massive growth potential.
“They have a constantly improving league, you’ve got David Beckham’s team coming into Miami and Nashville as well, so if it came up I would have a real interest.”
Moyes, who has previously been linked with jobs at Stoke and Aston Villa, would also be interested in working in Europe again.
He kept Real Sociedad in La Liga during a spell there and added: “Our mission was to keep the club up. We achieved that and we beat Barcelona in the process.
“I really enjoyed it, had the chance to see a different side, and would be interested in working in Spain again — or any of the other major leagues in Europe.
“I recently went out to see the Red Bull model at Salzburg and I’ve been keeping busy watching games and would be interested working in Europe again if the opportunity arose.”
READ MORE OF SUNSPORT'S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MOYES BACK IN SEPTEMBER HERE
The German has won the Champions League three times in the past four years, as well as playing a pivotal part in Real winning La Liga in 2017.
Moyes, who most recently held the reins at West Ham before departing in May, believes he deserved more time at Old Trafford - pointing at United's continued struggles since his departure.
He added: “To go to a club like Manchester United and follow someone like Sir Alex after the time he had been there, to stay for ten month
“It couldn’t be a revolution at Manchester United, it had to be evolution. It had to take time.
“I still think they’re having difficult times at the moment.”
