SC Braga goalkeeper Matheus has revealed receiving an offer to join Manchester United.
That was said in an interview with TNT Sports, where he spoke to journalist Arthur Quezada about the opportunities he had to leave Portugal.
It started with the journalist pointing out that Matheus had offers from Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, and asking the goalkeeper whether he was moved by that.
“Moves you, buddy. Honestly, it does. So when you receive the contact and see that… The stamp there from a big European club, mate, whether you like it or not, it moves you,” Matheus told TNT Sports.
“You’re a boy who leaves Brazil full of dreams and you always see these big clubs on television, following them, the Champions League, the Premier League, great players who have played there, David Beckham, David De Gea. So you wonder, is it true? And the guys got in touch with me, no, I spoke to him, I spoke to the coach.
“It was Ten Hag. So, these are things I’ve kept, whether I like it or not. I said, I’ll keep it to tell my children when they grow up. Because, mate, I think it makes us proud too, because I think it shows that you’re on the right track, that you’re keeping your feet on the ground, doing your job, dedicating yourself to the maximum.
“Unfortunately it didn’t work out, but as I said, God knows the plans. Maybe if I went there something could go wrong, I don’t know what would happen. But the important thing is that I feel very happy here at this club. This club opened its doors to me. It’s a great club that has grown and developed every year. So I’m happy to be part of this club.”
It’s not very clear when Manchester United’s offer was made, as Quezada claims that Nottingham Forest’s offer was made ‘now’, probably meaning the end of the summer window, and then didn’t refer to when the Red Devils’ attempt was made.
It still sounds like Erik ten Hag’s side tried the signing in the summer, though, as Matheus came from a great season at Braga and the Old Trafford side made a heavy investment in goalkeepers to replace David De Gea and Dean Henderson.
Manchester United ended up spending big to sign André Onana from Inter Milan, and then added Altay Bayindir from Fenerbahce. It’s not quite clear how much Matheus would’ve cost.
