Kroos reveals he was close to joining Man Utd before Madrid

Former Germany midfielder Toni Kroos has recalled that the then Bayern Munich player was set to join Manchester United in 2014 before signing for Real Madrid.

On his weekly podcast with his brother 'Einfach mal Luppen' revealed that the reason that thwarted his move to the Red Devils was the sacking of Scottish manager David Moyes, who replaced Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, and his replacement by Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal.

"They sacked David Moyes, who I was still sitting on my sofa with 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," he explained.

Instead of joining Manchester United, Toni Kroos decided to join Real Madrid, where he would go on to make more than 400 appearances in ten seasons and win 23 trophies, including five Champions Leagues, before retiring at the end of last campaign.