Toni Kroos came incredibly close to joining Manchester United, only for a change in management to completely scupper the deal. The legendary German, who enjoyed hugely successful periods with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, is celebrated as one of the greatest midfield orchestrators of his era - and he very nearly ended up at Old Trafford.

Back in 2014, Kroos had made the decision to leave Bayern and had agreed to move to United. He even sat down with then-boss David Moyes to talk through how he would fit into the side and was poised to sign the contract.

However, circumstances shifted dramatically just weeks later. "Before I signed with Real Madrid, I had already agreed terms with Manchester United. That would have been a move from Bayern to United," Kroos later revealed.

"David Moyes had come to see me and the contract had basically been done but then Moyes was fired and Louis van Gaal came in, which complicated matters. Louis wanted time to build his own project.

"I didn't hear anything from United for a while and started having doubts. Then the World Cup started and [Real Madrid manager] Carlo Ancelotti called. And that was it."

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What would have added an extra layer of intrigue to Kroos joining United in 2014 was the fact that he had also rejected Liverpool around the same time. Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez both personally contacted him, sending text messages in an attempt to lure him to Anfield - but their efforts proved unsuccessful.

"It wasn't a straight chat-up line but they offered to tell me more about the club and so on. The funny thing was, Suarez was about to leave to Barcelona anyway," Kroos told The Athletic.

Once the Kroos transfer fell through, United redirected their attention towards Barcelona playmaker Cesc Fabregas, but the Spaniard opted to sign for Chelsea instead. Next on their shortlist was Thiago Alcantara, though Bayern refused to sanction his departure. Ultimately, United ended up bringing in Ander Herrera and Daley Blind as their principal midfield additions of the window.

That summer, Kroos was instrumental in driving Germany to World Cup triumph in Brazil before embarking on a remarkable spell at the Bernabeu, where he also formed a legendary midfield duo alongside Luka Modric.

Although it took a couple of campaigns before the major honours began to accumulate, once they started arriving, they did so in waves. With Kroos serving as the calm, metronomic core of the team, Los Blancos captured four La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey and five Champions League trophies - including a historic three-peat between 2016 and 2018 under Zinedine Zidane.

For United supporters, Kroos represents one of the club's greatest missed opportunities - part of a lengthy catalogue of world-class players who narrowly slipped through their fingers, alongside figures such as Ronaldinho, Paul Gascoigne and Alan Shearer, among others.

And when considering United's turbulent path over the last decade - and the extraordinary level of success Kroos ultimately achieved in Madrid - it stands as one of the most striking sliding-doors moments in the Old Trafford history.