Former Manchester United manager David Moyes says not signing Toni Kroos is one of his biggest regrets in the transfer market.
Moyes had set up a deal for United to sign Kroos from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014, having met with the midfielder's agent and travelled to Germany to watch Kroos.
However, Moyes was sacked on Easter Monday six years ago and his replacement, Louis van Gaal, nixed a move for Kroos, having briefly coached him at Bayern. Kroos went onto win the World Cup that summer with Germany and helped Real Madrid to three Champions League triumphs across four seasons.
Moyes's only summer as United manager in 2013 has become infamous for the club's incompetence in the transfer market. A pursuit of Cesc Fabregas came to nought and United offered a world record £86million for Gareth Bale, despite the Welshman having his heart set on a move to Real Madrid.
"Toni Kroos would certainly be the one," Moyes told beinSports when asked about his top three misses in the transfer market. "At that time we were very much after Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas.
"But I've got to say prior to that, at Everton, we were really close to close to a lot of good players. We just couldn't quite get them over the line on several occasions."
Moyes passed on Thiago Alcantara, who moved from Barcelona to Bayern Munich in 2013, and United had a joint £28m bid rejected for Everton duo Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines. A deadline day move for Ander Herrera collapsed and United were unsuccessful with 11th hour offers for Daniele de Rossi of Roma and Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira. A loan deal for Real left-back Fabio Coentrao also fell through.
In 2014, Moyes scouted Atletico Madrid's Koke, Paul Pogba at Juventus, and Blaise Matuidi of Paris Saint-Germain, while the United first-team coach Phil Neville watched Saul Niguez on loan at Rayo Vallecano. Ilkay Gundogan also held informal talks with United while he was recuperating from a knee injury before Moyes settled on Kroos.
Moyes coached Real Sociedad for a year, was relegated with Sunderland, and spent six months at West Ham United before he was reappointed by The Hammers earlier this season. Moyes left Everton after 11 years to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at United in 2013 and, despite various failures since he left Goodison Park, feels he is a better manager.
"I believe so, because of experience as much as anything. I think when you've got over 900 hundred games under your belt, the majority of them in the Premier League, I think it gives you that experience of working at that level and working with different players.
"But I've got to say every club I've been at has been great. Every club. Manchester United, Sunderland, have shown me different things. [I've] experienced different parts of it and I think that's why now, when you get to this stage at this level, I think you're in a better position to manage."
"I think I'll always look back and regret leaving Everton because of the team and the players I had built at that time. But I'll never be regretful for joining Manchester United or doing what I've done."