England star Kieran Trippier makes admission about collapsed transfer to Manchester United

Kieran Trippier came 'very close' to signing for Manchester United from Atletico Madrid.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted to sign a new right-back in the summer of 2021 to provide competition for Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Trippier was identified as his prime target.

Atletico Madrid didn't want to lose Trippier, who wanted a return to England for family reasons, and insisted he'd only be sold if the £33million release clause in his contract was triggered.

United signed Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane in that summer transfer window and Trippier's move didn't materialise. Instead, he stayed at Atletico for another six months and signed for Newcastle in January 2022 for a reduced fee of £12m.

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Trippier has been regarded as an excellent signing for Newcastle and has continued to play a key role for England. His versatility at full-back has made him an asset for Gareth Southgate and he will likely start at left-back in the opening group game due to Luke Shaw's lack of fitness.

Speaking ahead of Euro 2024, Trippier sat down for an interview with The Overlap and his failed transfer to United when Solskjaer was in charge was on the agenda.

“When I was in Madrid, the season before I left it was a tough year for me for numerous reasons. I just wanted to come back to England, my family was finding it difficult at the time," said Trippier.

"I could have stayed at Atletico Madrid, I could have signed a new three-year contract. (Diego) Simeone in the car park on the day I was leaving didn’t want me to go.

"But it was the right thing at the right time for my family. As players you have