Man Utd tried to sign Axel Witzel but the holding midfielder rejected the transfer because they didn’t make him feel special
MANCHESTER UNITED failed in their pursuit of Axel Witzel because the club failed to make him feel special enough.
Jose Mourinho was in the market for the Belgian star last summer, but the then-Tianjin Quanjian midfielder rejected his advances.
The 101-cap international, 30, instead decided to head to Dortmund as they made him feel like their No1 priority.
Witsel revealed: "[Sporting director] Michael Zorc made contact first, followed by [coach] Lucien Favre.
"I had other offers... I could have gone to Paris or Manchester, but I had the feeling that I was Dortmund’s primary target.
";It’s important to have a good feeling when you go to a new club.
"After talks with Zorc, Favre and [CEO] Hans-Joachim Watzke, I made my decision.
"Dortmund is a top club and I really wanted to join a top club, because at 29 it was perhaps my last chance."
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Witsel went on to play a starring role at the German giants, playing 36 times in his debut season at the club.
Man Utd instead were only able to bring in Fred to bolster their midfield ranks last summer - with the £52million Brazilian struggling mightily in his first season.
Instead, both Mourinho and new boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer preferred academy product Scott McTominay in the heart of the United midfield.