Manchester United were heavily interested in Benfica defender Ezequiel Garay in the summer but the deal never materialized in the end.
It had been reported in the media that United were looking to add a world class defender as they look to find a long term replacement of ageing Rio Ferdinand while the future of skipper Nemanja Vidic was speculated as well.
Garay claims that he was due to join the Red Devils in the summer for a reported fee of £18m but new manager David Moyes had blocked the deal. The Argentine star claimed that a deal was in place, as Sir Alex Ferguson had trailed the defender for months.
The 27-year-old says the retirement of Ferguson has changed the scenario completely as Moyes pulled the plug after refusing to meet Benfica’s price tag.
Garay said: “I believed I was going to join Manchester United in the summer. The deal was nearly closed but finally Benfica did not accept the offer.
“I believe the exit of Ferguson has influenced the deal. Moyes did not believe in me as much but that’s not a problem.
“I am happy at Benfica and have a lot of dreams and ambitions for this season. Now I only think about the present which is Benfica but it’s never possible to discard anything in the future.”
Manchester United have at least five central defenders on their ranks but apart from Jonny Evans, neither of Phil Jones nor Chris Smalling have been able to cement their positions as a central defender in the side.
Comment – Man Utd have messed this transfer window to be honest. However, a central midfielder and a left-back was a top priority than a central defender. So, from that respect, probably Moyes was right in rejecting a deal for Garay.
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