Ex-Man Utd boss admits Bale made ‘brilliant decision’ to snub Red Devils

Bale.Tottenham.TEAMtalk

Former Man Utd manager David Moyes has revealed signing Gareth Bale was his top priority when he assumed the reins at the club, but admitted the player made a “brilliant decision” to join Real Madrid instead.

The Welsh winger could be in line to feature in the Premier League for the first time since 2013 when Tottenham face West Ham on Sunday.

Hammers boss David Moyes will be busy preparing his defence to face the superstar, but had things been different, Bale could’ve been playing under the tutelage of The Scot during his tenure at Man Utd.

Gareth Bale was probably the first name I thought of when I got the job,” Moyes said (via Goal). “I thought Gareth Bale was a Manchester United player. He was the right type.

“United have a great history of wide players with George Best up to Ryan Giggs and a whole lot of other brilliant ones in between.

“I wanted Gareth Bale to be my first signing at Manchester United.”

Bale would ultimately go on to join La Liga powerhouse Real Madrid in a trophy laden spell despite frequent stories of discontent at the club surfacing.

Moyes noted that he attempted to hijack the deal, but upon reflection stated that the player probably made the right decision to snub The Red Devils in hindsight.

“But it was already down the road a bit with Real Madrid,” added Moyes.

 

“I tried to hijack it. I tried to get him. Manchester United offered more money than Real Madrid. They offered more money to the player.

“We did everything we could to try and get the player. We even had a helicopter at the training ground to take him and bring him back. We thought we had a chance.

“But he chose Real Madrid and he made a brilliant decision because he went on to win four Champions Leagues. He’s had a brilliant career.”

Meanwhile, Juventus will make a concerted effort to re-sign Paul Pogba next summer, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.