Everton summer signing Michael Keane has revealed that Manchester United were interested in signing him this summer and admitted that his father “would have been delighted” if he returned to Manchester.
The 24-year-old spent five years of his early footballing career at Old Trafford but he only managed to make a total of five appearances for the first-team.
Keane completed a permanent move to Burnley in 2015 where he managed to excel and become an integral part of the starting eleven.
The central defender signed for the Merseyside club during the summer transfer window for a club record-equalling fee of £30million.
The England international has played the full 90 minutes in every Everton match this season and he has already notched up his first goal for the club in the Europa League qualifier against Hajduk Split last month.
However, Keane has experienced a tough start to his life at Goodison Park as the Toffees have only managed one win in their opening four league matches and they currently sit in 17th place in the table.
Despite the shaky start, the England international does not regret his decision to join Everton this summer and he explains why he believes that it will be the right choice in the long-term.
“They [United] were in touch with my agent and showed a lot of interest,” Keane says in an exclusive interview with the Times.
“They wanted me, but a few things happened and I thought Everton would be the best place for me to come.
“I thought I would get a lot of game time here, more than I possibly would at Manchester United, and that was a massive factor in my decision.
“My dad would have been delighted if I had signed for United. But he is glad I have come to Everton and not Liverpool, put it that way.
“I spoke to my family, friends, agent, I got advice from people I used to work with at United. Loads of different people.
“In the end, I came to the decision of joining Everton and I am thankful I did that because it is going to be the best thing for me in the long run.”
OPINION
When Keane was announced as an Everton player, the general consensus was that he had made the right call to turn his back on Manchester United especially after Jose Mourinho had invested heavily in bringing central defender Victor Lindelof to Old Trafford. However, things have started off on the wrong foot in terms of results for Keane and now him, his teammates and his manager are under pressure to set things right in the upcoming weeks. There is a chance that Mourinho would have opted to start Keane alongside Eric Bailly in the United defensive partnership instead of Phil Jones who has looked uncomfortable at times this season. The Everton new-boy will be hopeful that he can put on an excellent display against his former club this Sunday when the Toffees face the tough prospect of travelling to Old Trafford.