‘We made a bigger offer than Real Madrid for Gareth Bale’: David Moyes reveals Manchester United attempted to break world transfer record for Welshman

David Moyes has revealed his list of ones that got away from him during his short-lived spell as Manchester United manager, admitting that they had a 'terrible' transfer window in his one summer in charge.

The Scot left Everton to take over from the hugely successful Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford in 2013, but didn't quite make it through the entire season in charge before being sacked with Manchester United in seventh place - their worst finish since 1990.

United struggled throughout the summer transfer window following Moyes' appointment. Youngster Guillermo Varela arrived but played just 11 games for the club - but even that was ten more than another young full-back recruit, Saidy Janko, who arrived on deadline day alongside Moyes' former Everton star Marouane Fellaini.

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Aerial bruiser Fellaini was immediately seen as an odd fit and an unambitious signing for Manchester United, who they could have got significantly cheaper if they had moved for him earlier in the summer.

Moyes has now explained why United waited so long, telling Up Front with Simon Jordan: “We just didn’t make good enough signings in my first transfer window. Marouane Fellaini was signed right on deadline day and in truth, in terms of the signings I wanted, we had a terrible window.

“ Cesc Fabregas was the player I really wanted. I discussed it with Sir Alex Ferguson and we agreed he was a player that should be brought in.

"I spoke to Cesc and he’d been out of the team at Barcelona, so he agreed that if he wasn’t in the team for their first game of the season then he’d come to United. He was going to be the big signing.

“The other player I wanted was Gareth Bale. United always had great wide players like David Beckham and Ryan Giggs, so I thought he would fit. We made the bigger offer to Tottenham and to the player, we had a helicopter waiting for him, but he had his heart set on Real Madrid .”

Bale completed that move to the Bernabeu that summer, while Fabregas stuck around at Barcelona for a further year before moving to Chelsea.

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