I was about to join Manchester United - then they sacked the manager while he sat on my sofa

Midfield legend Toni Kroos was close to joining Manchester United - until the Reds sacked David Moyes while he was discussing the move with the German.

Moyes had been chosen to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford but was struggling to find results and was ultimately sacked after just 10 months in charge. But prior to being axed, the Scot was actively seeking to strengthen his squad and was in conversation with Kroos about a switch from Bayern Munich.

The cultured midfielder would have been a huge asset for United and, then aged 24, was ready to move to the Premier League to play for Moyes. But it all changed when United's decision to sack Moyes was made, while he was still in Kroos' company.

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In an interview with SPORT1, Kroos said: "In 2014, before I signed with Real Madrid, I had already agreed with Manchester United. That would have been a move from Bayern to United. But then they kicked out David Moyes, who I was still sitting on my couch with in Munich and hired Louis van Gaal. Then we both declined with thanks."

It meant Kroos went to the World Cup with Germany still a Bayern player before a move to Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid followed. While in Spain he won a host of trophies including five Champions Leagues, five Club World Cups, four UEFA Super Cups, four La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and four Spanish Super Cups.

"The World Cup started, and Ancelotti got in touch – that was it," Kroos explained.

Moyes also missed out on signing Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas while at United. Speaking in 2016 ahead of his Old Trafford return with Sunderland, he said: “When I first went in to United my real target was Gareth Bale. I felt all along that Gareth Bale was a Manchester United player and I fought to get him [from Tottenham ] right up until the last minute. We actually offered him a bigger deal than Real Madrid but Gareth had his mind made up on going to Madrid. He was, though, in my mind, the player I really wanted.

“The other one I came really close to getting was Cesc Fabregas, who we thought we would get [from Barcelona ] right up until the last minute. And Sir Alex [Ferguson] had told me there was always a chance Cristiano Ronaldo might come back from Real Madrid.”