"That was very close" - England star reveals he was close to joining Manchester United before moving to PL rivals
England defender Kieran Trippier has revealed that he almost made the move to Manchester United in the summer of 2021 but the deal fell through at the eleventh hour. The full-back, who was plying his trade for Spanish giants Atletico Madrid at the time, eventually joined Premier League side Newcastle United for £12 million in January 2022.
Speaking to Gary Neville in an exclusive interview with The Overlap, Trippier said that he was 'restricted' to specific clubs if he was to return to English football. He said (via TBRFootball):
"I wanted to come back to England, my family were finding it very difficult. I could’ve stayed at Madrid, I could’ve signed a new three-year contract, but as a player, you have to be realistic about where you can go. I couldn’t go to City or Liverpool. I was restricted to certain clubs."
Former Red Devils right-back Neville then asked:
"Manchester United came in though, didn’t they?"
The former Tottenham Hotspur man replied:
"Yeah, United came in straight after the Euros and that was very close, obviously growing up being a red as well with all my family, but it didn’t happen. Everything happens for a reason, it just fell away really."
Trippier has racked up six goals and 35 assists in 179 appearances in the Premier League, having played for Burnley, Spurs and Newcastle United.
The defender was a vital cog of Newcastle's fourth-place finish in the 2022-23 season, playing all 38 league games and bagging a goal and seven assists. He also grabbed three assists in their seven-game run to the EFL Cup final, which they lost against his former suitors Manchester United.
Despite a calf injury, Trippier enjoyed his career-best top-flight season in 2023-24 in terms of offensive output, netting once and assisting 11 times in 39 appearances across competitions.
"I'll always be ready" - England's Kieran Trippier on his role at EURO 2024
English full-back Kieran Trippier claimed that he'll be willing to play in any position that national team manager Gareth Southgate would want him to at EURO 2024.
In first-choice left-back Luke Shaw's absence due to injury, the 33-year-old was deployed as a left-back in England's pre-Euro friendlies against Bosnia and Herzegovina (3-0 win) and Iceland (1-0 loss).
Although Southgate has suggested that Shaw could be back for England's opener against Serbia, there is a chance that Trippier could start on the left flank again. When he was asked about his role on BBC Radio 5 Live, the 33-year-old said:
“If I play, I don’t play, I play right-back, left-back, I’ll always be ready, no problem. I’ll give my best. But if I’m not playing, also the type of character that I am is that I’m always supportive of my team because ultimately, [even] if you’re not playing we all want the same goal. We all want to win the tournament, so that’s the attitude that we need to have."
Trippier has made 48 appearances for England, with a goal and five assists to his name.