Bayern Munich striker Thomas Muller has admitted that he considered joining up with Louis van Gaal at Manchester United in 2015, only for the Bundesliga side to convince him otherwise.
The German striker, who has 198 goals for club and country, worked with Van Gaal during the Dutchman’s stint at the Allianz Arena and was once again presented with a chance to work with him again, this time at Old Trafford, in 2014. But he explained that, despite being offered a considerable pay rise, leaving the German champions was never a possibility at this given time.
“I could earn more by moving,” he said. “The figures that foreign clubs were talking about for me were astronomical. I can only say: a change was never really an issue for me anyway. FC Bayern is my club.”
However, the complexion changed once Pep Guardiola signed Robert Lewandowski from Borussia Dortmund, with the Polish striker occupying the primary spot up front over Muller, forced to feature in an inverted wide role that didn’t suit him. By the end of the 2014/15 campaign, during which Lewandowski made 49 appearances and claimed 25 goals, Muller was looking towards the exit door. United came calling again and it looked as if they were in a prime position to sign there German, but the Bundesliga side vehemently ruled out any prospect of letting Muller join United after seeing Bastian Schweinsteiger go in that direction already.
And Muller, speaking to German media outlet Kicker, revealed that he strongly considered joining United over the summer of 2015 before being convinced to stay.
“There was a point two years ago when this was an issue, when I thought about it,” he said. “But the club immediately supported me and they told me, I belonged here.
“When Bayern told me they needed me and how I am an important player I did not have to think that much anymore.”
