Michael Keane has revealed that he rejected Manchester United during the summer transfer. The England international was a product of the United youth academy but never really managed to break into the first team.

Following a series of loan moves, the centre back left United to join Burnley in January 2015, where he established himself as one of the best English defenders. He spent two and a half season’s at Turf Moor, before joining Everton for around £25m in the summer.

In a recent interview with The Times, Keane admits he had an offer to join Manchester United, but says it made more sense for him to sign for Everton.

The 24-year-old said: “They [United] were in touch with my agent and showed a lot of interest.”

“They wanted me, but a few things happened and I thought Everton would be the best place for me to come.”

“I thought I would get a lot of game time here, more than I possibly would at Manchester United, and that was a massive factor in my decision.”

“To be honest, having been at Burnley for three years, I wasn’t a fan of the club like I used to be. I wasn’t as big a fan of Man United as I had been, so I had to sort of put that to one side and just think rationally about what would be best for me as a footballer.”

“My family are all Man United fans so it was not an easy decision. My dad would have been delighted if I had signed for United. But he is glad I have come to Everton and not Liverpool, put it that way.”

“United are one of the biggest clubs in the world and it is not an easy decision to make.”

“I thought about it all throughout the summer and a bit longer. I spoke to my family, friends, agent, I got advice from people I used to work with at United. Loads of different people.”

“In the end, I came to the decision of joining Everton and I am thankful I did that because it is going to be the best thing for me in the long run.”

“We have had games where we’ve played well and a few games where it hasn’t gone so well. But I am young and learning and that is going to be good for me. While they [defeats] are not enjoyable, you go through them and learn and it will make me a better player.”

It is a great shame that Keane didn’t return to Old Trafford, but his reasoning for not joining does make sense and speaks volumes about the type of person he is.