If a list was created containing the players that Manchester United came close to signing, it would house a lot of players. The English Premier League giants may be one of the biggest clubs in the world that have big pulling power but there are still some players they have courted in the past that either refused to join them or were blocked by their clubs to seal the transfer. One of those players is Leighton Baines and the former Everton left-back has revealed that there was truly a time when the Old Trafford giants tried to acquire his services, but the move did not go on due to some reasons.
He had a record of scoring all the penalties he ever played until he had one saved by United goalkeeper David De Gea in 2014, the same year that the Red Devils allegedly tried to sign him. United, were at the time, managed by former Netherlands head coach Louis van Gaal and the Dutchman saw a huge potential in Baines but could not convince him to swap Merseyside for Manchester.
Baines revealed that United approached him about a possible transfer but decided to stay out at Everton because they were his boyhood club and he wanted to fulfill his desire of retiring at Goodison Park. Missing out on Baines could be recorded as one of their biggest transfer misses, as he could have gone on to become a huge star at Old Trafford.