‘Biggest club in the world’ - Newcastle star reveals ‘boyhood club’ Manchester United offer after Euros

Kieran Trippier has admitted he came close to joining Manchester United after Euro 2020.

The tournament, which took place in 2021 due to Covid-19, saw England reach the final just six months before Trippier eventually joined Newcastle United. Atletico Madrid had recently been crowned La Liga champions but the defender’s family were struggling to settle in Spain.

Trippier would ultimately snub Man United before moving to St James’ Park the following window. Speaking to The Overlap, the 33-year-old opened up about leaving Atletico and turning down his boyhood club.

“I wanted to come back to England,” Trippier said. “My family was finding it a bit difficult. I could have stayed at Atletico Madrid, I could have signed a 3-year contract. 

“Even Diego Simeone was waiting for me at the car park the day I was leaving, and was trying to convince me not to go. But it was the right thing at the right time for my family. As players, you need to be realistic about where you can go. I wasn’t going to go to a City or Liverpool.

“United came in straight after the Euros (in 2021) and that was very close. Obviously, as a kid growing up, being a Red like all of my family (I was interested). It didn’t happen and everything happens for a reason.

“It fell away really. Ole (Gunnar Solskjaer) was the manager at the time and everything seemed perfect. I was chuffed. This is Man United, the biggest club in the world. Six months later I was at Newcastle.”