Lille’s Thomas Meunier has opened up about his failed move to Manchester United.
The Belgium international has been speaking to RTBF about various topics related to legal aspects of football.
Meunier mentioned his failure to join Manchester United when discussing in detail about the crazy clauses he’s had inserted in contracts during his playing career.
The right-back joined Borussia Dortmund in June 2020 before leaving them for Turkish side Trabzonspor in 2024.
He says the opportunity to join the Red Devils came when he was at the Bundesliga club. At that time, the 34-year-old was without an agent, and this is the main reason why his move to Old Trafford collapsed.
The fullback claims the ‘coach’ who was then at Manchester United wanted his own agent to represent the defender. This didn’t impress Meunier.
“I could have signed for Manchester United”
“A little anecdote. When I was at Dortmund. I could have signed for Manchester United. I didn’t have an agent. And, in fact, the coach there at the time clearly directed me to his agent so I could sign for Manchester United. I refused, and I didn’t sign. Otherwise, you would have known… But there you go,” he said.
“That’s also the negative side of football. There’s a lot of money at stake. And even coaches work with agents specifically to place players and get paid. I have 45 examples like that. Now, I can’t prove them all, so I won’t name any names. But it’s something that, in my opinion, still happens far too frequently.”
It’s worth noting Meunier has publicly talked about his admiration for the Premier League club. In April 2022, the defender said he wouldn’t be able to turn down a move to Manchester United.
Four months ago, Meunier said he’s always dreamed of joining Manchester United, a club he supports. The Belgian even joked he “would cycle there” if the Red Devils were to call him.
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