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Alex Telles finally signed for Manchester United on October 5th, having been the subject of transfer rumours for some months. At one point it looked like FC Porto would refuse to sell the Brazilian for a reasonable fee, despite his contract having less than a year left on it.

As always there were endless claims, some of which didn’t go down too well with the Porto fanbase. Reports of personal terms being agreed well in advance were made, and there were even claims Telles forced his move to Manchester United.

That’s something the fullback very much denies, and has been the major part of an interview granted to O Jogo.

Telles clearly feels a connection with Porto supporters and wanted to make sure they’re aware what actually happened, with O Jogo quoting him as saying: “I never mentioned leaving, the president knows that. That’s because I felt very happy and at ease, I was making dreams come true at the club, on a collective and individual level, but all professionals have dreams and goals and I never hid that the Premier League was a child’s dream and an athlete’s dream.

“I waited for the right opportunity, but I never failed to leave my gift, to make it worthwhile at the club. So I am very grateful to FC Porto.”

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Asked straight out whether it was a lie that he forced his move to Manchester United, Telles continued along the same theme: “I never forced FC Porto to leave, not at all.

“I have always been very faithful to my work and the present and never thought about the future. I let things happen in the best possible way.”

Then asked about his final match, a defeat to Maritimo, Telles insisted he wasn’t distracted at all, after claims at the time suggested otherwise: “I never imagined it would be a farewell. Many people said that I had already agreed to leave, that I played for playing, sometimes they talk too much, but anyone who knows me knows that there was nothing. I played totally focused and focused on my work and Sérgio Conceição would not let an athlete play if he was not 100% focused.”