Arturo Vidal reveals Manchester United tried to sign him last summer but 'life is good' at Bayern Munich
The 28-year-old was a primary transfer target for Louis van Gaal, the United manager, seven months ago
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Your support makes all the difference.Bayern Munich’s Arturo Vidal has confirmed that he turned down Manchester United last summer to join the Bavarian giants.
The 28-year-old former Juventus midfielder was a primary transfer target for Louis van Gaal, the United manager, seven months ago as the Dutchman pursued new talent ahead of his second season in charge at Old Trafford.
Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger eventually joined, from Southampton and Munich respectively, but the central position remains a headache area for the club.
“Yes, there was a chance to come to England,” the Chilean international told the Times. “It was last summer, and at one point, we thought that is what would happen. I liked the opportunity that they had offered me, but eventually it did not happen and I chose to come to Bayern. There are always many teams around that go to my agent.
“I wanted to come to a team this strong and to a project that is so ambitious. I feel very happy. It helped that I knew what the country was like and what the people were like. We are better, me and my wife and my children. Life is good, very calm. We are starting to feel more comfortable.”
Meanwhile, Van Gaal has called upon his squad to restore the fear factor which previously followed the club wherever they travelled. The Europa League round-of-32 first-leg defeat to Midtjylland further damaged their reputation as United struggle to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
“We have to make teams fear us again,” the 64-year-old said. “We lost my first home game – against Swansea City – and people said the same but we recovered and we ended last season with a very good home record. We can do that again, but it is a question of winning matches in a row now.”
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