Kevin Strootman has revealed he never spoke directly to Manchester United about a potential move to Old Trafford. The Dutchman was a regularly linked with a move to Old Trafford during David Moyes’ reign at United and was again tipped for a transfer when Louis van Gaal took over. Kevin Strootman insists he never held talks with Manchester United over a potential transfer. Roma star Strootman was reportedly on the verge of a huge £35million switch in 2014 before he suffered a potentially career threatening knee injury.
The Dutchman was forced to skip the World Cup – where Holland finished third having been dumped out in the semi-finals by Argentina – before missing eight months of action. The 28-year-old had only moved to Serie A from PSV for around £15m in 2013, where he enjoyed a stand-out campaign before his sickening injury. Strootman, who was a long term United target, was seen as a potential replacement for Michael Carrick and was courted by both David Moyes and national team boss-turned United chief Louis van Gaal.
But the midfielder, who has gone on to feature for Roma 130 times, has admitted that while he was flattered by the interest, he only had eyes on a move to Italy’s capital. “I never talked with anybody,” said Strootman, speaking to The Independent. “There was a lot of speculation but to be honest I only spoke with Roma. There were some clubs who showed interest but it’s always like that. “They always say they are interested but at the end they don’t do anything so it’s nothing. I never talked about leaving Rome “They [the media] said some club was really close to signing me and they want me really bad but I’m good here.”
