Manchester United wanted Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels as Louis van Gaal reveals why he failed to land either
Dutchman won the FA Cup after spending £315m on 13 players across two seasons while in charge at Old Trafford
LOUIS VAN GAAL admits he tried and failed to sign TWO of German football’s biggest stars for Manchester United.
The Dutchman has revealed that both Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels slipped through his grasp during a two-year stint at the Theatre of Dreams.
Van Gaal’s time with United ended with FA Cup glory, but the Dutchman was often accused of negative tactics and uninspired signings by fans.
The Red Devils did see some global megastars come through the door, such as Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria.
But their time at Old Trafford ended in tears, and many supporters celebrated when Van Gaal was shown the door in favour of Jose Mourinho.
However, things could have gone very differently for the ex-Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Ajax and Netherlands boss had he pulled off the signings of two top names.
Louis van Gaal’s Man Utd signings
Daley Blind (Ajax): £16m
Matteo Darmian (Torino): £16m
Memphis Depay (PSV): £30.5m
Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid): £67.5m
Radamel Falcao (Monaco): £7m loan
Ander Herrera (Athletic Bilbao): £32.5m
Anthony Martial (Monaco): £54m
Marcos Rojo (Sporting Lisbon): £18m
Sergio Romero (Sampdoria): £0
Morgan Schneiderlin (Everton): £31.5m
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich): £8m
Luke Shaw (Southampton): £34m
Victor Valdes (Free agent): £0
Total: £315m
Hummels was playing for Borussia Dortmund at the time, while Bayern favourite Muller was lighting up the Allianz Arena with scintillating displays.
Speaking to , Van Gaal explained how he failed to land either World Cup winner despite having unlimited resources behind him.
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The veteran tactician said: “I want to sign Hummels for Manchester United. But because at that time he was coming out of a poorer season, we didn’t do it in the end.
“I can confirm that I wanted Muller. But there was nothing we could do. Bayern made it clear that they would not sell him.”
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