Bayern Munich and Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal revealed that he received an offer from Premier League giants Manchester United last summer and that he even considered moving to Old Trafford before ultimately choosing to return to Germany.
On Tuesday, Arturo Vidal will return to Turin and take on his former side Juventus in the first knock-out round of the Champions League tie. The Chilean joined the Bavarian giants last summer for a reported fee of €37 million, but has recently revealed that he could have been plying his trade in England this season.
The 28-year-old has had a successful — if unspectacular — season with Pep Guardiola’s side, and has proven to be a more-than-capable replacement for departing club legend Bastian Schweinsteiger. The German midfielder completed a move to Old Trafford in July last year, but unlike his replacement, has not quite lived up to expectations at his new club.
In a recent interview, Vidal revealed that he was seriously considering an offer from Manchester United last summer, before opting to return to Germany. The Chile international is quoted by ESPN FC as saying: “Yes, there was a chance to come to England. It was last summer, and at one point, we thought that is what would happen.”
Referring to the Red Devils’ offer, Vidal added: “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.”
All-action midfielder like Vidal may have been better fit for United
Manchester United have been accused of playing ‘boring football’ this season with critics accusing them of lacking pack and dynamism in the midfield. Manager Louis van Gaal has often paired Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinsteiger in the midfield, while the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin and Ander Herrera have been used more sparingly.
An all-action box-to-box midfielder like Arturo Vidal would arguably have been a better fit for Manchester United than the more ponderous Schweinsteiger. According to WhoScored statistics, the Chilean has more tackles per game than any of his Bayern team-mates (ranked 7th in the league), and also has a superb pass success rate of over 90% (ranked 7th in the league).
The former Juventus star is one of the most complete central midfielders in world football at the moment, and Bayern Munich seem to have gotten a much better deal from this transfer merry-go-round than the Red Devils.
