Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed several secrets from his time at Old Trafford. In a wide-ranging interview, he discussed broken promises, his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo and several failed transfers, including a move for a current Chelsea star.

Man Utd and Chelsea are no strangers to doing business, with players such as Alejandro Garnacho, Mason Mount and Jadon Sancho all moving between the two clubs in recent years. However, Ten Hag wanted to sign this Blues forward long before he moved to Stamford Bridge.

Erik ten Hag reveals Chelsea star wanted Man Utd move

After Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United in 2023 following his fallout with Erik ten Hag, the Red Devils reportedly wanted to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham. However, they missed out on the England captain to Bayern Munich and ultimately signed Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta.

Man Utd returned to the striker market a year later, attempting to bring Danny Welbeck back to Old Trafford before signing Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna. Welbeck spent 13 years at United, progressing through the academy before making more than 140 appearances in all competitions.

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After solid spells at Arsenal and Brighton, Welbeck was viewed as the perfect experienced striker to complement Man Utd’s younger forward line. Ten Hag revealed the club came close to signing the now-Chelsea star two years ago, but a change in the boardroom meant the deal fell through.

“For sure, we were in contact,” Ten Hag told The Athletic. “Not me, often Darren (Fletcher, then United technical director). And he was very interested.”

Instead, Welbeck stayed at Brighton and enjoyed the two most prolific Premier League campaigns of his career. He scored 13 league goals last season, convincing Xabi Alonso to bring him to Chelsea.

The 35-year-old has started just one Premier League game for the Blues, sitting behind Joao Pedro in the pecking order, but has started both of their EFL Cup ties. Welbeck scored once against Luton Town and twice against Leeds in a 6-3 victory at Stamford Bridge last month.